Rafael Struick: Indonesia U-23 Many Mistakes In The End Of Laos Defense

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team had to settle for being held in a goalless draw against Laos U-23 in the inaugural match of the 2026 U-23 Asian Cup Qualification group phase at the Gelora Delta Stadium, Sidoarjo, Wednesday, September 3, 2025, evening WIB.

Young Garuda dominated possession, even creating many opportunities. Even so, the final completion of Gerald Vanenburg's team was none of them that resulted in a goal.

From the opportunities produced, more were obtained from outside the penalty box. Garuda Muda had difficulty penetrating the Laos tight defense.

One of the U-23 Indonesian players, Rafael Struick, said that his team's failure to break into the Laos goal was the squad's fault.

"We tried to play very well, control the ball. However, we made a lot of mistakes in the final third of the Laos defense area."

"We tried to do well, but Laos' defense was also extraordinary," Struick said after the match.

Gerald Vanenburg also agrees that his players have a lot of homework. In addition to finishing, the mentality of the players also needs to be questioned.

The results of the series were also in the spotlight of Laos coach, Ha Hyeok-jun, who said Indonesia U-23 was no better than the Shin Tae-yong era.

In other words, Ha Hyeok-jun said that Garuda Muda is currently weaker, especially in terms of attack.

Meanwhile, Indonesia U-23 still has two remaining matches in the 2026 U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers. They will face Macau U-23 on Saturday, September 6, 2025, before meeting South Korea U-23 on September 9, 2025.