Defeating Korea, U23 Indonesia caused a shock at the U23 Asian Cup

(NLDO) - Taking the lead twice against U23 Korea and then winning the penalty shootout, U23 Indonesia won a ticket to the semi-finals of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship on April 26. This is the best achievement of the team from the archipelago country in this tournament.

HIGHLIGHTS: U23 KOREA - U23 INDONESIA | CLASSIC PENALTY SHOOTOUT, THE PRIDE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA

U23 Indonesia is considered weak in Group A after losing to host Qatar in the opening match of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship, but coach Shin Tae-yong's team showed that they are not an easy opponent to defeat in this tournament.

U23 Indonesia overwhelms U23 Korea

The Indonesian team has a core of players who have been naturalized from Europe, have impressive physiques, and are physically strong. Therefore, when competing with the strong teams in Asia, U23 Indonesia is not inferior in terms of ability to compete and "fight in the air".

In the early morning of April 26, coach Shin Tae-yong and his team competed with championship candidate Korea but outplayed their opponent.

Match statistics show that U23 Indonesia controlled the ball 53% of the time and had 21 shots, nearly 3 times more than U23 Korea.

U23 Korea continues to disappoint at the 2024 AFC U23 Championship

Not only defending well thanks to their high pressing style, Indonesia's attack was also effective with two goals from striker Rafael Struick in the first half, helping the archipelago team take the lead twice against Korea.

If Komang Teguh had not scored an own goal at the end of the first half and Jeong Sang-bin had not scored the equalizer 2-2 for U23 Korea near the end of the match, Indonesia would have probably won a ticket to the semi-finals of the tournament.

Rafael Struick scored a double for U23 Indonesia

... while goalkeeper Ernando Ari became the "hero" who helped Indonesia defeat South Korea on penalties.

After a 2-2 draw in 120 minutes of official play, Indonesia and South Korea created a dramatic "shootout" in the penalty shootout. After 21 shots, Coach Shin's team won with a score of 11-10, entering the semi-finals and will face the winner of the match between Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia. This is also Indonesia's best achievement in the U23 Asian tournament.

Earlier, host Qatar had to say goodbye to the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing 2-4 to Japan. The match's milestone took place in the 41st minute, when goalkeeper Baliadeh was shown a direct red card by the referee for "tricky" behavior of kicking the Japanese U23 striker.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thang-han-quoc-u23-indonesia-gay-soc-tai-giai-u23-chau-a-196240426075000984.htm