Jakarta, IO – The Indonesian national team (Timnas) failed to make it to the final of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup after losing to Uzbekistan 0-2 in the semi-final at Doha’s Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Qatar, Monday (29/4).
However, Indonesia’s chance to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics is still alive. The next avenue is to win the match for third place against Japan/Iraq in the U-23 Asian Cup, per CNN Indonesia, Tue (30/4).
Timnas has put forth a maximum effort in the faceoff against Uzbekistan, especially on the defensive side. The “Young Garuda” squad, coached by South Korean national Shin Tae Yong, was even able to score first through Muhammad Ferrari in the 61st minute. However, the goal was invalidated by referee Shen Yinhao after a VAR check.
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This appeared to sap the momentum for the Indonesian side. Uzbekistan’s first goal was created in the 68th minute, followed by Pratama Arhan’s own goal in the 86th minute.
Prior to the second goal, Indonesia had to play with 10 players after Rizky Ridho (Number 5) was shown a red card he was deemed guilty of serious foul play when throwing the ball. (un)