Shockingly defeating Korea in a dramatic match, U23 Indonesia entered the U23 Asian semi-finals

This is only the first time U23 Indonesia has participated in the U23 Asian Championship. However, they did not show any weakness against Korea, a team with many stars and who won the throne in 2020.

Throughout the match, it was U23 Indonesia who created more bold impressions. Statistics show that coach Shin Tae Yong’s team holds the ball more (53%) and launches a superior number of shots (21 compared to 8).

In particular, the contribution of the naturalized players is quite clear. And Rafael Struick was the best player with a double. In the 15th minute, he helped U23 Indonesia create the first surprise with a dangerous curling shot to open the score.

In the 45th minute, U23 Korea equalized from Komang Teguh’s unfortunate own goal. But just 4 minutes later, Rafael Struick completed a double to help U23 Indonesia regain the lead. This time, he ran up after a long pass from his teammate and then delicately scored to beat goalkeeper Baek Jong Bum.

The representative of Southeast Asia continued to play patiently and persistently and even had an advantage over others when Lee Young Jun received a red card for kicking Justin Hubner. However, they conceded in the 84th minute after Jeong Sang Bin’s acceleration and cool finish.

The 2-2 result sent the two teams into extra time and then a tense penalty shootout. The two teams needed 12 rounds of shots to decide victory or defeat.

U23 Indonesia was the team that showed better character despite being underestimated when they won a dramatic 11-10 victory, creating the biggest shock from the beginning of the tournament and entering the semi-finals. They are also full of hope to win tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In related developments, Japan U23 also participated in the semi-finals of the 2024 Asian U23 Championship after a 4-2 win over Qatar.