ONE DOWN, JAKARTA NEXT: Safee celebrates with the Malaysian supporters at the end of the game — Pic: Hussein Shaharuddin

KUALA LUMPUR: Could this be history in the making?

National coach K. Rajagopal and his lads are 90 minutes away from inking their names into the history books as the first team to net the Asean Cup title after a convincing 3-0 win in the first-leg final against Indonesia at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Ironically, the critics were harsh on the team especially after the 5-1 thrashing by Indonesia in the curtain raiser of the tournament.

However, playing in front of a packed stadium, the hosts provided sheer entertainment in what can be dubbed as the best match of the decade.

The Malaysian Tigers stunned the Republic with goals from Safee Sali (59th and 71st minutes) and Ashaari Shamsuddin (67th).

The last time Malaysia made it to the final was in 1996 where they lost 1-0 to Thailand.

Now, Rajagopal and Co have the opportunity to better that record and end 2010 on a high.

And things seem to look bright for the Malaysians as Indonesia have raised the white flag ahead of the return-leg in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"This is football. We started the tournament well and now we might miss the chance of winning the tournament," admitted a dejected Indonesia coach Alfred Riedl.

"Our chances of winning the title are between five to 10 per cent. We are the outsiders now."
Riedl pointed out that individual mistakes by his players enabled the Malaysians to capitialise on the situation.

"I don't know why my players looked confused on the pitch today."

Riedl even took a swipe at the Indonesian media, fans and the Indonesian Football Federation for "hyping up the match".

This comes as a shocker after Riedl was quoted by the local Press as saying that the pressure is on Malaysia judging by the wide coverage it received and the fans' expectations.

The Indonesian Press are already gunning the Malaysian fans for the laser beams that supposedly "blinded" the Indonesian players. The Indonesian team even threatened to walk out during the match.

FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Sultan Ahmad Shah had to intervene and headed down to the field to consult with the organisers before the match resumed.

"I will need to talk to the players to get more information. It (laser beams) must not be allowed."

Rajagopal, meanwhile, was all smiles. Nevertheless, he firmly believes that the team have another match at hand before securing the title for the first time.

"We started well but the players were too eager to score and we ended up failing to convert our chances. We managed to do better in the second half and we got the goals.

"We have a comfortable lead but we must do more than just defend in the next match."

BOXING DAY PRESENT: Tevez (right) celebrates his second goal with Milner (centre) and Johnson during their match against Newcastle United this morning

LONDON: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini praised his side for the way they bounced back from their surprise setback against Everton with a 3-1 win at Newcastle yesterday.

City spurned the chance to go top of the Premier League at Christmas as they slumped to a 2-1 home defeat last Monday but they hit back in stunning fashion by making a blistering start at St James' Park.

Midfielder Gareth Barry was gifted the opener by home goalkeeper Tim Krul after just 74 seconds before Carlos Tevez put City 2-0 up inside five minutes.

The Magpies battled back with the aerial threat of striker Andy Carroll proving a constant menace, particularly for Joleon Lescott, who returned at centreback for City in place of the suspended Kolo Toure.

Carroll gave the hosts hopes of a comeback with a 72nd minute header but an 81st-minute strike by Tevez deflected in off Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini to seal a welcome win which puts City second ahead of Arsenal before their home game against Chelsea tomorrow (4am).

"I think we started the game very well, scoring two goals," Mancini told Sky Sports. "Newcastle made it very difficult. They are a strong team and the atmosphere here is good. Also because they played maybe 200 long balls to Carroll.

"I think it's difficult for everyone to play against Carroll but I think our defenders did very well.

"I think that it's important to cope when you are under pressure and Newcastle put us under pressure for 20 to 25 minutes. But in the end, it was important that we won this game."

Tevez's two goals were his first since withdrawing his recent transfer request and with his differences with the club seemingly now resolved, there was no questioning his commitment to the City cause.

The Argentine striker led the line superbly, laying on Barry's opener as well as taking his tally to 12 goals this season although James Milner also earned praise off Mancini after putting in a tireless stint on the right of midfield against his former club.

"Tevez is important because he's our main striker and he's scored a lot of goals this season," said Mancini. "I'm happy because he scored two important goals but I can't mention just one player today. I think all players played a fantastic game and I think Milner, in particular, played very well."

The victory was City's sixth from 10 away games this season and they return to Eastlands tomorrow to face struggling Aston Villa.

"We must recover because we play again in 48 hours and it's not easy to do that," said Mancini. I think there will be some changes for that game.

"Every match is a big test and we must keep improving, that's important."