Qualifying For The U-23 Asian Cup Semifinals, Jokowi Prays For The Indonesian National Team To Win Again To Win Tickets For The Paris Olympics

The U-23 Indonesian national team competed in the U-23 Asian Cup. (doc. PSSI)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the achievement of the U-23 Indonesian national team to qualify for the semifinals of the U-23 Asian Cup was a very historic achievement for the Indonesian nation. "The first time Indonesia managed to reach the semifinals in this competition, it's very historic!" Jokowi wrote in an upload on his Instagram account, @jokowi, Friday, April 26. "The extraordinary achievement of the Indonesian U-23 Football National Team (Timnas) after defeating South Korea in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup quarter-finals," he continued. In the upload that received 1,100 more likes until Friday afternoon, the President mentioned the ability of the Indonesian U-23 national team to beat South Korea 11-10 on penalties in the quarter-finals as an extraordinary achievement. For this achievement, the U-23 Indonesian national team is only one step away from getting tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics if they win in the next phase in the U-23 Asian Cup. Jokowi also prayed for the opportunity of the Indonesian national team as a debutant to come true. "Hopefully in the semifinals, Indonesia can take advantage of the best opportunity and get a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Get excited, the Indonesian national team!," he said.

The Indonesian national team managed to qualify for the semifinals of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup after a 11-10 win over South Korea in the last eight which took place at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Friday morning WIB. The winner of the match must be determined through a penalty shootout drama after both teams drew 2-2 for 120 minutes.