Shin Tae-yong Appreciates The Mentality Of The U-23 Indonesian National Team

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team succeeded in overthrowing Australia with a narrow score of 1-0 in the second match of Group A of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Thursday, April 18, 2024.

Komang Teguh recorded the only winning goal in the 45th minute. He headed home the ball from Nathan Tjoe-A-On's kick which outwitted goalkeeper Patrick Beach.

An additional three points made Indonesia U-23 perched in second place in Group A standings. This situation brought Garuda to the stage of qualifying for the knockout stages of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup.

Victory is like a turning point for Marselino Ferdinand and colleagues. Previously, they lost controversially against Qatar U-23 with a score of 0-2, causing their mentality to fall.

However, Indonesia U-23 proved that their mentality cannot be underestimated. This can be seen from the performance against Australia U-23, which Garuda Muda never gave up and fought in every way to maintain their advantage.

No wonder, Shin Tae-yong praised his players for their determination. Even though they are a debutant team at the U-23 Asian Cup, they show the appropriateness of a competitor who cannot be underestimated.

In fact, Indonesia U-23 almost fell behind in the 25th minute. Luckily Ernando Ari Sutaryadi parried Mohamed Toure's penalty kick. This moment was clearly an explosion of the spirit of Garuda Muda.

"We expect a tough game and it (against Australia U-23) is a very difficult game."

"I emphasize to the players before the match to never give up, to raise the confidence of the players," said Shin Tae-yong. Shin Tae-yong further emphasized that Garuda Muda is not a trivial team at this time. Since the arrival of the South Korean coach in 2019, Indonesian football has changed a lot.

The 53-year-old architect has also proven that when the senior Indonesian national team appeared in the 2023 Asian Cup. The Red-White Team managed to qualify for the knockout phase for the first time in the history of participation.

Shin Tae-yong's efforts to build a generation of quality young footballers have shown results.

In fact, judging by the Indonesia U-23 squad he is currently carrying, almost half of it has been given regular minutes in the senior Indonesian national team by Shin Tae-yong.

"We have to have a strong mentality and the players do it well. They are making extraordinary efforts."

"Now our team continues to grow and that's the reason we probably won against Australia u-23," Shin Tae-yong said after the match on the AFC website.

The U-23 Indonesian national team will have their last match Group A against Jordan U-23 on April 21, 2024. The party will determine the qualification of Garuda Muda.

Ernando Ari and colleagues at least played a draw with the Australian U-23 record losing to Qatar U-23.