U20 Indonesia entered the U20 Asian Championship with high hopes of securing a spot in the World Cup (reaching the semifinals). However, they faced a shock in their opening match, suffering a 0-3 defeat against U20 Iran.
The loss significantly impacted U20 Indonesia’s chances of advancing. In their next two matches, they will face U20 Uzbekistan and U20 Yemen. Among these, U20 Uzbekistan is particularly strong as the reigning champions of the tournament.
After the defeat against U20 Iran, U20 Indonesia’s head coach Indra Sjafri admitted: “We will learn from this loss and focus on our upcoming match against U20 Uzbekistan.
U20 Iran is a strong team. They played to their full potential. The opponents had a significant advantage in aerial duels. We didn’t anticipate this. Our ability to predict aerial balls and compete in one-on-one challenges are weaknesses of the U20 Indonesia players.
U20 Indonesia was able to play well enough to create counter-attack opportunities against U20 Iran. We had a few chances but failed to capitalize on them. I’ve watched the match between U20 Uzbekistan and U20 Yemen. Afterward, I’ll analyze our upcoming opponents.”
The U20 Indonesia squad competing in the U20 Asian Championship includes three overseas-based players: Welber Jardim (São Paulo, Brazil), Jens Raven (Dordrecht, Netherlands), and Marselinus Ama Ola (Logroñés, Spain). In the match against U20 Iran, Jardim and Raven started, while Marselinus Ama Ola came off the bench. However, none of the three made a significant impact.
In their next match, U20 Indonesia will face U20 Uzbekistan on February 16. If they lose again, the Indonesian side risks elimination in the group stage.
Meanwhile, today (February 14), another Southeast Asian representative, U20 Thailand, will play their opening match of the U20 Asian Championship against U20 Japan.
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