Against North Korea U-17, Indonesia U-17 Focuses On Training Penalti Kicks

JAKARTA - The U-17 Indonesian national team coach, Nova Arianto, emphasized that the practice of kicking penalties was something that focused on his team ahead of the U-17 North Korean opponents. The two teams will meet in the quarter-finals of the 2025 U-17 Asian Cup on Wednesday, April 14, 2025, at 21.00 WIB.

This step was taken by Nova Arianto in preparation for a number of possibilities that will occur when facing North Korea. Moreover, it is known that the determination of the winner will be done on penalties if both teams draw.

According to regulations, in this knockout phase there will be no extra time if the score is still equally strong for 90 minutes. Therefore, the penalty shootout scheme will definitely be carried out if the match ends in a draw.

"What is certain is that we are preparing everything, including penalty shootouts. We have been training yesterday. We will practice again in preparation if we have to arrive at the penalty shootout," Nova Arianto said in a statement quoted Monday, April 14, 2025.

Despite the team's preparations, Nova Arianto assessed that the North Korean squad, O Thae Song's team, had many advantages. However, he stressed to I Putu Panji and his friends not to be afraid when competing on the field.

"North Korea is one of the teams that is very wary of individual quality, work ethic, physical, and mental. North Korea is one of the leading teams in the U-17 Asian Cup this time," Nova said.

"However, I want my players not to be afraid of this situation. I want to see my players have a strong mentality because they are currently players of the 2025 U-17 World Cup. I want to see the mentality of players can be maximized or not? We see on the field," he said.