Shin asked his players not to think too much about the score in the first match. Later in the second match, he will encourage the players to show their best performance like in the group stage.
By
Kompas Team
·6 minutes read
Despite losing 4-0 to Thailand in the first leg, the Indonesian football team still has a chance for revenge in the second match of the AFF Cup final. Miracles can come from strong belief.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The struggle of the Indonesian national football team in the final of the 2020 AFF Cup has not ended, despite the 4-0 defeat to Thailand in the first leg at the Singapore National Stadium, Wednesday (29/12/2021). The “Garuda” team can still fight and hope for a miracle in the second match.
The difference in the quality of the Indonesian national team with Thailand can be seen in the first match of the AFF Cup final. Thailand was able to show a stable performance despite losing two key players, Theerathon Bunmathan and goalkeeper Chatchai Budprom. A number of fundamental weaknesses in Indonesia must be addressed by Shin to at least surprise Thailand by providing the last fierce resistance in the second match, which will be held on Saturday (1/1/2022).
"If we look at the results of this match, it is a bit difficult [to get back and win in the second match]. However, as long as the ball is still round, and if we work hard until the end, we can get good results. We will not give up and will continue to fight in the second match," said Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong in a press conference after the match.
Later in the second match, he will encourage the players to show their best performance like in the group stage.
Therefore, Shin asked his players not to think too much about the score in the first match. Later in the second match, he will encourage the players to show their best performance like in the group stage.
In the first match of the AFF Cup final, the Indonesian players still showed a fundamental weakness. The weaknesses include not being able to focus on the early minutes. They had difficulty controlling the game when they were under pressure from the Thai players.
The Indonesian players also showed fragility throughout the first match. They were in too much hurry to build attacks that they were easily countered by the Thai back players.
This tendency must be minimized in the second match. Because, Thailand is the team with the most solid defense in the AFF Cup. Since the group stage until the final, the “War Elephant” team has only conceded one goal. Indonesia, which is the most productive team with 18 goals since the group stage, could only create one chance to score against Thailand.
On the other hand, Thailand played patiently by building attacks from behind. Meanwhile, Indonesian players often made basic mistakes, such as easily losing the ball and inaccurate passes. So, Thailand freely launched an attack on the Indonesian defense.
More aggressive
The defeat means Indonesia will inevitably have to play more aggressively in the second match to make up a four-goal deficit to win the championship trophy. The Indonesian players, the majority of whom are young, have to let go of the pressure and high expectations of the Indonesian public who yearn for the country’s first AFF Cup trophy, a symbol of the supremacy of football in Southeast Asia.
"Many players are playing in the final for the first time. Conceding a goal very quickly when the first half just started made it difficult for us," said Shin, evaluating his team's defeat.
Although aware of Thailand's quality above Indonesia, Shin admitted that he did not expect to concede up to four goals without retaliation. To face the second final match, Shin will focus on recovering the players' stamina.
According to Polking, the Thai players were fluent in translating his instructions throughout the game.
Meanwhile, Thailand's coach Alexandre Polking praised the impressive game his team had played. According to Polking, the Thai players were fluent in translating his instructions throughout the game.
He feels that Thailand is very close to winning the title even though he believes that Indonesia will play hard in the second match. "We have a big advantage to win the trophy back and can't make mistakes in the second game," said Polking.
From East Java, it was reported that Ana Darmono, the mother of Evan Dimas, captain of the Indonesian team, believes that miracles can still be there in the second leg later. Ana and the residents of Sambikerep, Surabaya, did not stop praying when they watched the final match together.
When Thailand scored three goals in the second half, they looked sad. However, they kept watching until the game was over and praying. "There is a slim chance in the second leg, but we still pray that the national team and Evan will continue to try their best," said Ana after watching the match.
Support for the Garuda team was also shown by Vice President Ma'ruf Amin. He watched yesterday's match from his official residence in Jakarta. Prior to the final, Vice President Amin even provided input so that the stamina and speed of Indonesian players could be improved.
Public expectations of the Garuda team's performance in the AFF Cup are indeed high. They hope that Evan Dimas and his friends can bring home the AFF Cup, a symbol of the glory of Southeast Asian football, which has failed to be achieved repeatedly.
Out of five times reaching the final of the AFF Cup, since it was still called the Tiger Cup in the 1990s, Indonesia has always failed to win. Of the five finals, Indonesia has been defeated by Thailand three times.
PSSI's website hacked
The crushing defeat yesterday opened up the old wounds of football enthusiasts in the country. Disappointment was also expressed on social media. Some of the contents of the Football Association of Indonesia's website were even hacked by an unknown perpetrator last night.
The hacker wrote a message, which partly contained disappointment over the bad performance of the Garuda team. However, they still have hope behind the very slim chance to win. To win the trophy, Indonesia needs to win 5-0.
"Yes, Indonesia can do it. There is still the second leg. Keep the spirit!" wrote the hacker on the official PSSI website going by the name Anon7. (IGA/BRO/INA)