Winning against Korea, U23 Indonesia caused a shock at the U23 Asian Championship

U23 Indonesia is considered weak in Group A after losing to host Qatar on the opening day of the 2024 U23 Asian Championship, but coach Shin Tae-yong showed that they are not easy opponents to defeat on the playing field this time.

The team from Ten Thousand Islands possesses a core force consisting of many naturalized players from Europe, with impressive physiques and durable physical strength. Therefore, when competing with top teams in Asia, U23 Indonesia is not inferior in its ability to compete and “dogfight”.

In the early morning of April 26, Mr. Shin Tae-yong and his team competed against the Korean championship candidate but outplayed their opponent.

Match statistics showed that U23 Indonesia had 53% ball control and 21 shots, nearly 3 times more than the number of shots on goal by U23 Korea.

Not only defense or high-pressing play, Indonesia’s attack was also effective with two goals from striker Rafael Struick in the first half, helping the island team take the lead twice over South Korea.

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

Holding a 2-2 draw in 120 minutes of official play, Indonesia and South Korea created a dramatic “gunfight” in the penalty shootout. After 21 shots, coach Shin’s team won 11-10, entered 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 Asian U23 playground.