Suara.com – The coach of the Indonesian U-24 National Team, Indra Sjafri, opened his voice after his team lost to North Korea in the final match of Group F of the 2022 Asian Games, Sunday (24/9/2023) afternoon WIB.
The Indonesian U-24 national team, which needed a win to take the top of the standings, was disappointingly defeated with a score of 0-1.
Luckily, this result still allowed the U-24 Indonesian National Team to advance to the round of 16 through one of the four best third-place teams.
Even though they still qualified, the Indonesian U-24 National Team’s game was highlighted by netizens. It is not uncommon for fans to express their frustration on social media.
Also Read: Indonesian U-24 National Team Qualifies for the Round of 16 of the 2022 Asian Games Despite Losing to North Korea, Here’s the Calculation
Netizens’ anger is quite justified considering that the defeat to North Korea has increasingly confirmed the existence of problems within the Garuda Muda squad.
Indonesian U-24 National Team footballer Syahrian Abimanyu (right) blocks North Korean footballer Hwang Chanjun in the Group F round of the 2022 Asian Games at Zhejiang Normal University Stadium, Jinhua, China, Sunday (24/9/2023). Indonesia lost with a score of 0-1. BETWEEN PHOTOS/Hafidz Mubarak A/nz
For information, the U-24 Indonesian National Team ended Group F with a collection of three points. They only won over Kyrgyzstan and surprisingly lost 0-1 to Taiwan before being beaten by North Korea.
After the match, Indra Sjafri opened his voice regarding the destruction of the Garuda Muda squad during the group stage.
He emphasized that he did not want to blame the situation considering that the Indonesian U-24 National Team’s preparations for this event were minimal and only 20 of the 22 players were available to compete.
“I really don’t like blaming the situation. There are 20 players and I as a coach have tried to prepare the best way of playing to face the opponent,” said Indra Sjafri in a press conference, quoted on Monday (25/9/2023).
Also Read: 2022 Asian Games Results: Behind North Korea in the First Round, the Situation of the Indonesian U-24 National Team is Dire
Indra explained that the focus of him and the coaching team was to evaluate the U-24 Indonesian National Team so that they could perform better in the round of 16.
“So, I think we will improve in the future. There is an opportunity to move forward,” stressed Indra Sjafri.
In the round of 16, the U-24 Indonesian National Team will face the winner of Group C, which is still being contested between Uzbekistan and Hong Kong. The match will only take place today, Monday (25/9/2023) afternoon WIB.
