Praising Ronaldo Kwateh And Marselino Ferdinand's Slick Performance, Shin Tae-yong: Footballers Must Always Be 'Hungry' And 'Thirsty' When Competing

Ronaldo Kwateh (Twitter.com/@pssi)

JAKARTA- The debut performances of Ronaldo Kwateh and Marselino Ferdinand while defending the Indonesian national team against Timor Leste in the FIFA Matchday match, Thursday, January 27, received praise from Shin Tae-yong.

The South Korean national team coach did not hesitate to give appreciation to these two young players because they have succeeded in being differentiators. Shin Tae-yong considered the Indonesian national team's game to be better in the second half since Ronaldo and Marcelino entered.

"After they (Ronaldo Kwateh and Marselino Ferdinand) came in, our team's performance got better. Football players must always be 'hungry' and 'thirsty' when competing," said Shin Tae Yong in a post-match statement.

In the match at I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Bali, Ronaldo had only entered at the beginning of the second half. He was plotted to replace the position of Ramai Rumakiek who was pulled out.

The presence of the Madura United winger was then able to create an assist which led to Ricky Kambuaya's goal in the 65th minute. Not only did he look good, Ronaldo's presence in this match also made history as the youngest player to debut with the Garuda squad.

Based on records, Ronaldo made his debut with the Indonesian national team at the age of 17 years, 3 months, and 8 days. This record beat the record previously held by Asnawi Mangkualam, who debuted at the age of 17 years, 5 months, and 17 days.

Shifting to the presence of Marselino in helping the Indonesian national team, he was only appointed by Shin Tae-yong to enter the field in the 66th minute to replace Evan Dimas. Despite failing to score or assist, the Persebaya Surabaya player's game was able to threaten the defense of Timor Leste.

The performances of Marselino and Ronaldo Kwateh show that the two players will be Shin Tae Yong's mainstay when the Indonesian U-23 national team appears in the 2022 AFF U-23 Cup in Cambodia, 14-26 February.

Apart from the praise for Ronaldo and Marceloni, in this inaugural test match the national team won 4-1. This is clearly a big capital to play the second match with the same opponent on January 30 next.