Indonesia topped the Southeast Asian Games medals table Sunday, as hype around their football final with rivals Malaysia peaked after a report that the visitors may seek a police escort to the match.
Indonesia reached 144 golds on Sunday having amassed 373 medals in total with two full days of competition to go - pushing them comfortably beyond the target set by the Games' organisers for their first overall win since 1997.
Thailand took a commanding hold on the second spot with 90 golds, 10 first-place finishes clear of Vietnam. But Sunday's talking point was the hosts' upcoming clash for football gold with Malaysia, after the visitors said they might use armoured Barracuda vehicles to reach the game, which is expected to draw over 90,000 hostile fans.
The Malaysian Star newspaper on Sunday quoted team manager Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin as saying he had urged Indonesian police to consider escorting his under-23 side during the short trip from their hotel to the stadium on Monday.
Malaysian athletes have faced relentless barracking from local crowds, with the under-23 footballers - who are defending their 2009 title - taking flak as they beat the hosts 0-1 in the final group game last week.
"We have the experience of the preliminary match last Thursday. I notice our players are resilient and I hope they rise to the occasion tomorrow," he told the paper, adding "we will prove Malaysia are the best in Southeast Asia." Malaysia, who boast the best defence in the tournament after conceding just two goals, pounced late against doughty Myanmar on Saturday to steal a final spot with a 1-0 win.
Indonesia took their place in Monday night's showpiece with a 2-0 win over Vietnam, scoring twice in the second period through Papuan pair Patrich Wanggai and Titus Bonai.