MANILA - The U-22 Indonesian national team looks carefree to face the top party of the 2019 SEA Games against Vietnam. During the final training session at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines, Monday, December 9 morning, all the players relaxed.
According to Antara's monitoring. Smiles, jokes and jokes can be seen on several faces of the Garuda Muda players. After training, coach Indra Sjafri admitted that he had no burden ahead of the final against Vietnam which will take place tonight at 20.00 local time.
"This is only the final of the SEA Games. Why should you be stressed? If you are dead, it's okay to stress," Indra told reporters in Manila.
His foster children, he said, were also not affected by the magnitude of the country's public spotlight on the squad nicknamed Garuda Muda, and remained focused on concentrating on welcoming this important match.
"The important thing is good intentions, hard work and prayers. We have to fight because there are only two choices, namely we win or them," he said.
The coach who has brought Garuda Muda to win twice (AFF U-19 2013 and AFF U-22 2019) hopes for the support of prayers from the people of Indonesia so that his team can win the gold medal in men's football at the 2019 SEA Games.
In the historical record of Indonesian football at the SEA Games, Indonesia has qualified for the final and won by winning a gold medal at the 1991 Manila SEA Games.
Now in the final of the SEA Games soccer sport against Vietnam at the same venue at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, the Garuda Muda Team is expected to be able to repeat its golden history at the previous SEA Games.
At that time, the Indonesian Team was able to break the defending champion Thailand on penalties with a score of 4-3, and came out as the SEA Games champion for the second time after previously winning the same event in 1987.
U-22 national team trip
Saddil Ramdani et al's journey to the top party of the 2019 SEA Games final in the Philippines was smooth, although at the beginning of the championship some observers and media predicted that the U-22 national team would encounter many difficulties, because they were in a hellish group and contained superior teams such as Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, as well as the two weaker teams Brunei Darussalam and Laos.
At the start of the match, Indra Sjafri was able to prove that they were not afraid to be in the group by beating Thailand 2-0, which is a regular SEA Games soccer champion.
The second step of the U-22 national team must meet Singapore and also be able to be defeated by the same score 2-0, as well as bringing Garuda Muda to the top of Group B of the 2019 SEA Games.
The third match of the U-22 national team must meet another strong Vietnam team. In that match, Saddil and his friends had to admit the superiority of Park Hang Seo's team with a score of 2-1.
This defeat was a valuable lesson for Eggy et al and immediately stepped on the gas by slaughtering Brunai Darrusalam 8-0. Then bulldozed Laos in the last match with a score of 4-0. Indonesia also qualified for the semifinals to occupy the runner-up in Group B and meet Myanmar.
Evan Dimas et al had a difficult time fighting this country that was formerly known as Burma, because after winning 2-0 they were equalized 2-2 until 90 minutes were over. This forces the match to be continued to an additional round of 2x15 minutes.
At the end of the match, Evan Dimas, who was then the manager of the attack, was able to contribute two goals at the same time escorting the Indonesian national team to the final to face Vietnam.
In the midst of the slumping achievements of the senior national team in almost all competitions. And the domestic competition was tarnished by the score-fixing case which led to the arrest of several high-ranking PSSI officials by the Anti Mafia Ball Task Force from the National Police, it's time for Garuda Muda to emerge as a savior again.
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