Budi Sudarsono disappointed for not scoring any goal

April 8, 2001

Playing for the first in the national squad against Maldives, striker Budi Sudarsono and midfielder Maman admitted that they were not satisfied with their performances.

According to Budi, not being able to capitalize on a measured long pass from his teammate in the second half of the match was completely his fault, not of his teammates'. He knew he could've scored if only he was more composed. This match is his first ever match for the Indonesian national team, and it should be a worthy experience for his career.

"Not being able to give a goal to the national team is a whip-in-the-back for me to practice harder, both with my club Persija Jakarta and in the national training center," said Budi in a disappointing note.

Budi continued saying that the Maldives team is clearly not as good as Indonesian team. This conclusion was drawn when he was watching from the bench, and when he was played in the second half, he was unfortunate not to score.

He said that he will give a better performance in the future, and he was glad to see there were so many Persija fans who were seated in the stand behind the Maldives goal chanting his name, supporting him, and waiting for his goal.

"I apologize for all the fans, especially The Jakmania (Persija's fan group) because I didn't score any goal in the game. I promise I'll do better against Cambodia and China in Jakarta."

Maman, on the other hand, had a different story. The young midfielder from Pelita Solo was a bit nervous when he played in the second half of the match, and it showed on the field. This nervousness is because this is his first ever international match.

Even then, his teammates gave him a lot of support on the field to just play loosely and it helped him to get through the match nicely. This is surely an unforgettable lesson for the exciting midfielder and an added incentive for him in future matches.

from satusports.com (4/8/01)