U23 Indonesia defeated U23 Korea, the miracle of Shin Tae Yong

Flexible tactics

In the first time participating in U23 Asia, U23 Indonesia created an earthquake while advancing all the way to the semi-finals.

U23 Indonesia opened the tournament with an unjust loss to host U23 Qatar. However, what followed were excellent performances when defeating U23 Australia and U23 Jordan.

In the quarter-finals, coach Shin Tae Yong’s team continued their good performance, leading Korea U23 twice. The final score was 2-2 and Garuda Muda won 11-10 in the penalty shootout.

The success that U23 Indonesia experienced bears the mark of Shin Tae Yong, who previously also created a reputation with this country’s national team.

In Qatar, Mr. Shin Tae Yong has tactical flexibility. Despite the 3-4-2-1 frame arrangement, U23 Indonesia played in a different way, making it difficult for opponents to catch the cards.

One of the tactical highlights is the way coach Shin Tae Yong arranged Marselino Ferdinan in many different positions. The 19-year-old player can play central midfielder, or attack on the left.

Except for the match against U23 Australia, U23 Indonesia Always dominate the ball control in the U23 Asia 2024 battles, through diverse passes and few touches.

The match against U23 Korea was the pinnacle of the strategy of the captain who attended the 2018 World Cup. U23 Indonesia was more proactive in holding the ball, making many low-touch passes in the tiki-taka style.

Controlling the ball 53% against strong opponent U23 Korea is a truly impressive rate. Garuda Muda caused the Korean team to not be able to attend the Olympics for the first time since 1992 – when the age limit was 23.

Naturalization value

Owning quality players helps coach Shin Tae Yong – who reached an agreement to extend until 2027 (only the official signature is missing) – have the foundation to develop the gameplay as he wishes.

Besides the promising domestic faces, the naturalized players of U23 Indonesia maximize their value.

The naturalized players, mainly Dutch, are mentally strong enough to play proactive ball control football as required by the Korean coach.

Those are Justin Hubner and Nathan Tjoe-A-On – who Heerenveen allowed to return for the quarterfinals. U23 Asia After being summoned to the Netherlands, Ivar Jenner and Rafael Struick.

Jenner plays the role of regulating the ball in the middle of the field with a pass efficiency of 91.8%. Tjoe-A-On stands out with his ability to intercept from a distance, helping to neutralize threats to the defense.

Struick, with experience from matches with the Indonesian national team, launched 4 accurate shots and scored 2 goals against U23 Korea.

Hubner alone is a solid shield in defense, with 4 tackles and 2 successful interceptions.

In 120 minutes of play, U23 Korea had only 2 accurate shots on goalkeeper Ernando Ari’s goal.

In addition to positive results at the Asian Cup and 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the naturalized players selected by Mr. Shin Tae Yong are changing the history of Indonesian football.

After U23 Vietnam in 2018, U23 Indonesia became the second Southeast Asian representative to reach the U23 Asian semi-finals.

The door to Paris to compete in the 2024 Olympics is wide open for Shin Tae Yong and his team (the top 3 teams directly attend the Olympics, the 4th place team plays off with Guinea).