The shocking 0-1 defeat against the Philippines U23 in their opening match put Indonesia U23 in a difficult position. Coach Indra Sjafri's team has yet to earn any points and their only hope of reaching the semi-finals is as the best second-placed team. However, to achieve this, Indonesia U23 had to beat Myanmar U23 by a margin of three goals in the match on the evening of December 12th. Despite this, after 90 minutes, Indonesia U23 failed to achieve this goal, only managing a 3-1 victory over Myanmar U23. Indonesia U23 earned 3 points but finished second among the best-performing second-placed teams, officially becoming the former champions.
Two late goals from Jens Raven were not enough to help Indonesia U.23 advance.
PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG
"The elimination of the Indonesian U.23 team is truly heartbreaking."
As the match in Chiang Mai concluded, CNN Indonesia commented: “Compared to the disappointing performance against the Philippines, coach Indra Sjafri made five changes to the lineup for the match against Myanmar. The 62-year-old coach also changed tactics, switching from a 3-4-3 formation to a 4-3-3. His intention was clear: Coach Indra wanted the Indonesian U23 team to play offensively and dominate their opponent from the very first minute. However, we were humiliated after only the first half, because in reality, the Indonesian U23 team was not strong enough to overwhelm the Myanmar U23 team. Our attack, despite having quality players, was ineffective and lacked options to approach the Myanmar U23 goal. Besides easily losing possession, the young "Garuda" team also struggled to cope with Myanmar's strong attacking style. Furthermore, the carelessness of the Indonesian U23 team was fully exploited by the Myanmar U23 team, leading to their lead.”Indonesia U23 were very lucky to equalize. The second half remained deadlocked, and it wasn't until Myanmar U23 ran out of steam that Indonesia U23 secured a 3-1 victory. However, heartbreakingly, Indonesia U23 still couldn't reach the semi-finals due to an inferior goal difference compared to Malaysia U23.
"Malaysia U23 advanced because they scored one more goal than Indonesia U23. This is the first time the defending champions have been eliminated early in 15 years, since the 2009 SEA Games. A painful ending for the SEA Games champions, especially considering that Indonesia U23 invested heavily in this year's tournament," CNN Indonesia emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Bola Times used an article titled "How heartbreaking! Indonesian U.23 team wins but still sheds tears, Malaysia advances to the semi-finals of SEA Games 2025" to describe the journey of the Indonesian U.23 team in this year's tournament.
An Indonesian newspaper commented: “As the final whistle blew, many Indonesian U23 players collapsed in pain. On the sidelines, coach Indra Sjafri and his colleagues were also stunned, unable to accept this outcome. Indonesia's U23 team fought until the very last moments but still left early, trailing Malaysia's U23 team by just one goal. What made this moment even more heartbreaking was when Jens Raven broke down in tears and looked down weakly. He looked very emotional after scoring two goals but still being unable to lead Indonesia's U23 team to the semi-finals. He sobbed uncontrollably and was comforted by the Myanmar U23 players.”
Indonesia U23 officially loses its title as SEA Games 33 champion.
PHOTO: SCREENSHOT FROM BOLA TIMES FACEBOOK
Bola Times also surprisingly mentioned the match's main referee: "When the match entered the 90+6th minute, the last opportunity that the Indonesian U23 team could take advantage of was not realized because the referee decided to blow the final whistle. At this point, the Indonesian U23 players protested vehemently against the referee. Midfielder Zanadin Fariz of "Garuda" even received a red card."
Following criticism directed at the referee, Bola Times also pointed out four main reasons why the Indonesian U23 team lost their title: “Firstly, the Indonesian U23 team was too slow at the start of both matches. Our attack was ineffective and had almost no options when the opposing defense played disciplined. Secondly, the Indonesian U23 team frequently missed scoring opportunities, leading to wasted possession. Thirdly, the Indonesian U23 team lacked composure in their coordination, especially when trailing. Finally, coach Indra Sjafri did not read the game well, and the substitutions made by the Indonesian U23 team proved ineffective.”
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bao-indonesia-dau-xot-that-bi-thuong-cho-cau-thu-khi-mat-ve-ban-ket-vao-tay-u23-malaysia-18525121220461255.htm
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