JAKARTA (Reuters):

INDONESIA FORWARD Bambang Pamungkas's second-half strike gave the Asian Cup co-hosts a 2-1 victory over Bahrain in a lively Group D opener yesterday.

In sweltering heat in the Gelora Bung Karno stadium, both sides had chances as the play swung swiftly from end to end.

But it was Pamungkas, who had troubled the visitors with his trickery around the box, sealed Indonesia's win 18 minutes into the second half when he blasted home a rebound after the Bahrain keeper could only parry a ferocious Firman Utina shot on to the post.

Indonesia coach Ivan Kolev played tribute to his side's desire and said all the team played well.

"They wanted to win. They proved to all of us that they can win," Kolev told a post-match news conference, where he also thanked the noisy home fans who had filled much of the 88,000-capacity stadium in the capital.

Strategy for the game

Asked about his strategy for the game, he said: "We did study how Bahrain played. And then we tried to anticipate clearly with the ability of Indonesian players."

The home team had struck first in the 14th minute after midfielder Utina threaded a defence-splitting pass through to Budi Sudarsono, who chested the ball beyond the goalkeeper and slotted home from inside the penalty area.

The visitors then drew level in the 27th minute after a cross from the right ricocheted off several players before Sayed Mahmood Jalal tapped in from close range.

Late into the second half Bahrain hit the crossbar and their coach Milan Macala said his team had not won because they had missed a number of decent opportunities.

"That is the reason we lost the game," Macala told gathered reporters and also complained about the quality of the training pitch his team had to use.

The win marks revenge for Indonesia, who were beaten 3-1 by Bahrain in the 2004 Asian Cup in China.