Asia Tour Insider - Day Three

As the team bus sped away from the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium en route to the airport on Sunday night, it was flanked by hundreds of mopeds being ridden at high speeds by excitable Arsenal fans, many waving flags and scarves while blowing kisses to the players and dodging traffic.

The locals were determined to give the players a send off befitting of the Club's three-day stay in Jakarta, and make the most of every last second of the team's stay in the country.

Arsenal had just said their goodbyes to Indonesia in the grand manner, netting seven goals - including a couple of screamers - without reply against the Indonesia Dream Team.

The 60,000 or so inside the stadium, who created a cacophony of noise throughout the evening, had been well and truly entertained, though many were also hoping for a goal from their beloved national team to cheer as well.

But first and foremost they were there to see the Gunners in the flesh, and with virtually all of the squad getting a run out, the crowd - led by the 8,000-strong Indonesian Arsenal Supporters Club - could work their way through their extensive repertoire of songs.

A couple of the younger players were also on the scoresheet, including midfielder Kris Olsson. Just 24 hours earlier Olsson had sung the Swedish national anthem in front of his team-mates, as part of his 'initiation ceremony'.

Tradition dictates that every player making his first overseas trip with the first team must perform a song of his choice in front of the group. Fellow rookie Gedion Zelalem opted for 'We Will Rock You', incidentally.

All of the players had certainly been greeted like rock stars wherever they went in Jakarta, and there's no doubt that the first leg of the Asia Tour was a smash hit with fans and players alike. Next stop, Vietnam.