Rafael Struick Absent In The Semifinals, These 3 Names Become U-23 National Team Weapons Options Against Uzbekistan

Rafael Struick (Instagram @rafaelstruick)

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team will face Uzbekistan in the semifinals of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. However, in that match, the Garuda Muda squad was confirmed to appear without the presence of Rafael Struick.

Struick was forced to miss the match against Uzbekistan because he had to serve a card accumulation sentence. Previously, the ADO player of the Hague received a yellow card in the match against Jordan and South Korea.

Struick's absence in the semifinal match is clearly a loss for the U-23 national team which sets a place for the final for tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The reason is, the 21-year-old player is a person who is diligent in opening space for teammates to score points.

Not only that, Struick even became one of the determinants of the U-23 national team to advance to the semifinals. This is because Struick scored a brace in the duration of the normal match against South Korea in the quarter-finals.

Without Struick's presence on the front lines, Shin Tae-yong as the U-23 national team coach had to rack his brain. He must determine the substitute to fill the position left behind.

Here are three players who can be candidates to replace Struick in the Indonesia vs Uzbekistan match:

Jeam Kelly Sroyer

The figure of Jeam Kelly Sroyer could be an alternative replacement for Rafael Struick. Shin Tae-yong can use the services of Sroyer if he wants to install players who can comb the side of the field more and often change positions.

Sroyer had previously been trusted by Shin Tae-yong to appear in the match against Australia. At that time, Sroyer played alongside Rafael Struick and Witan Sulaeman because Marselino Ferdinand was pulled into the middle of the field to fill the position left by Ivar Jenner due to a red card.

Ramadan Sananta

Ramadhan Sananta is the next player who can be an option. Although he has a different type of game from Struick, Sananta's fairly capable goal instincts can be a differentiator and help the U-23 Indonesian national team win against Uzbekistan.

Sananta also has a good mentality and it was tested from her courage to become the first executor and successfully netted two penalties in the quarter-finals against South Korea.

Hokky Caraka

Shin Tae-yong can also include Hokky Caraka in the list of options when Struick is absent. Moreover, in recent times his name has also been more often an option than Sananta.

The reason is quite clear, apart from Hokky being the striker who finished the attack in the penalty box, he also has an advantage in terms of stamina.

Because they rarely play until the semifinals, Hokky's stamina condition is not drained like other players who often appear as first players.