Indonesia silence Malaysia

Malaysia's Mohd Fadzil bin Saari (foreground) is tackled by Indonesia's Charis Yulianto during the semifinal second leg of the Tiger Cup Asean Championship at the Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur last night. - AP

Kuala Lumpur - Veteran striker Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto turned in a vintage performance to lead Indonesia into their third Tiger Cup final, beating Malaysia 4-1 Monday in a match marred by fighting between rival supporters.

Indonesia advanced 5-3 on aggregate after losing the first leg 1-2 to Malaysia last week. They will face Singapore in the final on Saturday of Southeast Asia's premier soccer tournament.

On Monday, Malaysia looked set to move into the final after Khalid Jamlus opened scoring in the 27th minute at Kuala Lumpur's National Stadium, leaving the Indonesians two goals behind on aggregate by halftime.

Police stepped in to maintain order during the break, when hot-tempered fans from both sides began hurling bottles and other objects at each other. Some brawling broke out, but no injuries were immediately reported.

Kurniawan came on as a substitute in the 57th minute and immediately turned the tables by scoring just before the one-hour mark, causing the Indonesians to pile pressure on the Malaysian side.

Charis Yulianto nodded in a corner kick in the 75th minute, helped by Kurniawan's speedy runs into the box.

In the 78th minute, Kurniawan brought the ball down, leading Ilham Jaya Kesuma to swiftly blast it into the goal.

Boas Salossa sealed Indonesia's victory with another easy goal in the 85th minute.

The match had been delayed two days as a mark of respect for tens of thousands killed across the region by last week's earthquake-Tsunami aftermath, which hit Indonesia hardest.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin