Jakarta, IO – After their last meeting in 1979, the Indonesian national men’s football team again hosted Argentina in a FIFA Matchday at Bung Karno Stadium (GBK), Jakarta, Monday (19/6).
In a match that was watched by thousands of football fans, Argentina national team immediately put pressure right after the kickoff. They are looking for weakness in Indonesia’s defense. Even so, it was not easy for the 2022 World Cup victor to penetrate the defensive formation of Elkan Baggott, Jordi Amat and Rizky Ridho. Meanwhile, at the beginning of the match, the Garuda squad tried to limit Argentina’s ball possession and domination.
Argentina’s breakthrough came when Leandro Paredes shot from a distance and managed to penetrate the goalpost guarded by Ernando Ari Sutaryadi in the 39th minute. The first half ended with a 1-0 advantage for Argentina.
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It didn’t take long for La Albiceleste to score another goal in the second half by Cristian Romero in the 55th minute. Even though they were behind by two goals, the spirit of the Indonesian team didn’t wane. Several opportunities were created, even the long-range throw by Pratama Arhan left Argentina players scrambling.
The match ended with 2-0 win for Argentina, a far superior team. But the performance by Indonesian team also deserved praise for putting up a good fight.
(IO/Septo Kun Wijaya)