Indra Sjafri Is Not Satisfied With The Performance Of The Indonesian U-20 National Team

JAKARTA - The U-20 Indonesian national team coach, Indra Sjafri, admitted that he was not satisfied with the team's performance after the 1-1 draw against China U-20.

The two teams met at the Madya Stadium, Senayan, on Friday, March 22, 2024, WIB night, in a test match. China took the lead when the game had only been running for 15 minutes through Peng Xiao's header. Left behind since the early minutes, Iqbal Gwijangge and his friends continued to struggle to equalize.

Garuda Muda was only able to equalize during injury time, to be precise in the 90+2 minute. The equalizer goal was created through the execution of Dennis' Figo penalty.

The draw in this trial match adds to the length of the record record of never winning Indra Sjafri's team in international trials.

After the match, the team's performance did not escape the coach's comments. Indra Sjafri clearly explained that he was not satisfied with the appearance of Arkhan Kaka and colleagues.

"Our players are not growing enough, but the second half can get out of pressure. Overall, I'm not satisfied. Later we will try again on March 25, 2024 with a different team," he said.

Indonesia U-20 is indeed scheduled to play two test matches against China U-20. They will meet for the second time on March 25, 2024.

On that occasion, Indra Sjafri will indeed present a different team composition. He deliberately applied it to get the best candidate for the U-20 Indonesian national team.

The problem is, Garuda Muda is prepared to appear in the 2024 AFF U-19 Cup, the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup Qualification which will later lead to the 2025 U-20 World Cup.

Judging by the long projection, the coach intends to find the best quality player. Therefore, the trial moment is deemed appropriate.

"The opponent we chose was the right opponent. They can teach lessons to our players with a high level of pressure from China U-20 in the first half," he said.