U17 Indonesia created an earthquake when defeating U17 Korea in the opening match

U17 Indonesia - Photo 1.

U17 Korea (red shirt) completely dominated U17 Indonesia throughout the match - Photo: AFC

Late on April 4, U17 Indonesia caused a shock when they defeated U17 Korea with a score of 1-0 in the opening match of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship.

The “island nation” team is in Group C with opponents Korea, Yemen and Afghanistan. However, apart from Korea being superior, the other two opponents are still on par with Indonesia.

Therefore, Indonesian fans are very hopeful that their team can finish second in the group to get a ticket to the 2025 U17 World Cup.

However, the early clash with U17 Korea in the opening match made Indonesian fans worried. When the opening whistle blew, U17 Korea with superior class easily dominated the match. However, the first opportunity came to the representative of Southeast Asia.

In the 14th minute, U17 Indonesia had a chance to score the opening goal. The Korean U17 defender fumbled and lost the ball, allowing Fijatullah to face the goalkeeper. However, the Indonesian player number 9's handling was too bad.

However, throughout the first half, U17 Korea struggled against the opponent's deep defensive formation. They controlled the ball up to 64% and launched 10 shots (2 on target). Meanwhile, the Southeast Asian representative only had a single shot.

U17 Indonesia - Photo 2.

Evandra Florasta scores historic goal for U17 Indonesia - Photo: AFC

In the second half, things did not change much. U17 Korea maintained constant pressure, causing the ball to almost only roll on the U17 Indonesia field.

However, the "kimchi" team was powerless to find a way to the opponent's goal. Meanwhile, U17 Indonesia relied on the speedy counterattacks of the strikers.

It seemed like the match would end in a 0-0 draw, but the surprise came in the 90+1 minute, when U17 Indonesia was awarded a penalty. The ball was thrown in a strong manner, causing a U17 Korean player to let the ball touch his hand.

U17 Indonesia - Photo 3.

The joy of U17 Indonesia when winning a historic victory over U17 Korea - Photo: AFC

On the 11m mark, Evandra Florasta, although unable to beat the Korean goalkeeper with the first shot, still managed to score the opening goal. Taking the lead, the "island country" team withdrew all their defenses in the 10 minutes of extra time.

Unable to score an equalizer, U17 Korea accepted a 0-1 defeat against U17 Indonesia. The surprising victory over the strongest opponent in the group helped U17 Indonesia "have a bright chance" to pass the group stage and have a chance to win a ticket to the World Cup.