Heavily criticized because U.23 Indonesia is at risk of returning home early, Coach Sjafri spoke bitterly

Indra Sjafri's confusing decisions caused U.23 Indonesia to lose the match

In the second round of Group C of the 33rd SEA Games men's football, which took place on the evening of December 8, U.23 Indonesia took the field with almost the strongest lineup. Naturalized players such as Rafael Struick, Jens Raven, Mauro Zijlstra, Dion Markx, Ivar Jenner were all trusted by Mr. Indra Sjafri and placed in the starting lineup. However, throughout the 90 minutes, U.23 Indonesia played disappointingly, not once penetrating the U.23 Philippines net. Not only that, in the 45+1 minute, U.23 Indonesia also conceded a goal after a close-range header by Banatao Otu Abang, thereby losing the match 0-1.

After the loss of U.23 Indonesia to U.23 Philippines, CNN Indonesia commented: “As the champion, U.23 Indonesia had the worst start at SEA Games 33 when they lost 0-1 to U.23 Philippines. Throughout the 90 minutes, the connection between the three lines was something that Indonesian fans did not see. Many positions in the U.23 Indonesia squad played below their ability, especially the forward line, which lacked options to approach the U.23 Philippines goal.”

Bị chỉ trích dữ dội vì U.23 Indonesia có nguy cơ về nước sớm, HLV Sjafri nói cay đắng- Ảnh 1. — U.23 Indonesia's strikers had a terrible match day

CNN Indonesia commented on coach Indra Sjafri: “In the first match, Mr. Indra Sjafri created two big surprises in the starting lineup. In defense, Muhammad Ferrari was selected to the surprise of the fans. Ferrari was eliminated from two friendly matches with U.23 Mali before the SEA Games and even the Bhayangkara FC player only came on as a substitute in the match with U.23 India. The second surprising name in the starting lineup was Rayhan Hannan. Previously, in the match with U.23 Mali, Rayhan was also not on the list due to injury. It was the turmoil that caused many positions in the U.23 Indonesia squad to not reach their full potential, leading to defeat.”

Meanwhile, Bola Times also surprisingly talked about coach Indra Sjafri's tactics: "With a stronger force, it was clear that U.23 Indonesia could not control the match in the first half and lost early. When they were behind, Mr. Indra Sjafri also reacted too slowly, making U.23 Indonesia unable to reverse the situation in the second half."

“U.23 Indonesia lost the opening match while U.23 Philippines advanced to the top of the group. This result puts us in a very difficult situation. U.23 Indonesia must try their best in the match against U.23 Myanmar in the final round to keep their hopes of advancing. But even if they win, the right to self-determination is no longer in the hands of U.23 Indonesia,” Bola Times emphasized.

Bị chỉ trích dữ dội vì U.23 Indonesia có nguy cơ về nước sớm, HLV Sjafri nói cay đắng- Ảnh 2. — U.23 Indonesia is at risk of being eliminated from SEA Games 33.

Coach Indra Sjafri was in pain because U.23 Indonesia lost the match

In response to criticism from the Indonesian media after the 0-1 loss to the Philippines, coach Indra Sjafri said: “This result is really painful for U.23 Indonesia. Honestly, we did not play well in the first half. What was more regrettable was that at the end of the match, U.23 Philippines counter-attacked and U.23 Indonesia conceded a goal. The players did not follow what they did in yesterday's training session and that made U.23 Indonesia pay the price.”

"U.23 Indonesia tried to change the formation and players in the second half but still lost in the end. We controlled the match and had some opportunities, but could not take advantage of them. Although I know U.23 Indonesia is now in a very difficult situation, I believe the whole team will play their best in the final match, winning big against U.23 Myanmar to win the right to continue", Mr. Indra Sjafri expressed.