Rafael Struick Is Back, Shin Tae-yong Believes He Will Contribute

Rafael Struick has returned from the card penalty (doc. PSSI).

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team coach, Shin Tae-yong, is confident that Rafael Struick will contribute to the team. The player is already available ahead of the match for the third place of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup against Iraq U-23.

The U-23 Indonesian national team will face Iraq U-23 at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Qatar, Thursday, May 2, 2024, tonight WIB. In the match, Garuda Muda's strength will be more convincing with the presence of Rafael Struick.

The striker previously missed the match against Uzbekistan U-23 in the semifinals. The absence of the ADO The Hague player was due to serving a yellow card accumulation sentence.

After the accumulated card sentence, Struik could be an option for Shin Tae-yong to sharpen his attack line. Moreover, so far the 21-year-old player has scored two goals for Young Garuda such as the score of Komang Teguh and Marselino Ferdinand.

"He (Rafael Struick) played well since the tournament started. He is one of the key players as a striker. Unfortunately, he missed a game," Shin Tae-yong said in a statement quoted on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

"Now he already has a better physical condition and I believe he contributes to our team (against Iraq U-23)," he said.

However, Indonesia U-23 remained crippled even though Rafael Struick returned. You see, Garuda Muda had to lose Rizky Ridho who had to be absent due to a red card sentence.

Rizky Ridho was sent off for violating Uzbekistan's U-23 in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup semifinals, Monday, April 29, 2024. Even without Rizky Ridho's presence, Shin Tae-yong still has options and is likely to fill an empty position by placing Komang Teguh.