AFC U23 Cup: President Jokowi Expects Indonesia To Overcome Jordan

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo hopes that the Indonesian football national team can control the field against Jordan in the final match of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup group phase which will take place this Sunday night.

President Joko Widodo, who has just played football with the children at the Company Football Field, Gorontalo City, prays that the Indonesian national team can achieve the best results in the match.

"We pray for everyone, pray together that our national team, the U-23 Indonesian national team in the Asian Cup can really control the field, can score as many goals as possible, there is no red card," said the President as quoted in an official statement received by Antara in Jakarta, Sunday.

Previously, President Jokowi played football with a number of children on the field.

The match was said by President Jokowi as a preparation event to support the Indonesian national team in the match against Jordan which will be held at the Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Stadium, Qatar.

"It must be prepared, everything is prepared. The strategy is built, the players are in good condition, the skills are also good, God willing, preparations for this afternoon in Gorontalo will have an impact on the match in Doha, Qatar between the Indonesian and Jordanian national teams," said the President.

For the time being, the Garuda Muda team is in second place in Group A standings with 3 points from two matches.

In the first match, Shin Tae-yong's team lost 0-2 against Qatar, then won 1-0 against Australia in the second match.

At least Indonesia needs a draw to secure a ticket to the next round, while Jordan must win over Indonesia if he wants to advance to the next phase.

The host Qatar has confirmed that he will qualify for the next round after pocketing a score of 6 from two matches.