The Fighting Spirit of ‘Garuda Muda’

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Indonesian U-19 players carry red and white flags to celebrate Indonesia's success in qualifying for the U-20 Asian Cup after defeating Vietnam at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya City, East Java, on Sunday (18/9/2022).

Indonesia’s U-19 football team qualified for the U-20 Asian Cup finals as a Group F winner after gaining perfect results following its win over Timor Leste, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

SURABAYA, KOMPAS — The Indonesian U-19 football team, Garuda Muda, showed an extraordinary fighting spirit when they beat the Vietnam team 3-2 (0-0) at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday night (18/9/2022).

The victory ensured Indonesia’s qualification for the U-20 Asian Cup in March 1-18, 2023, in Uzbekistan. Indonesia qualified as the winner of Group F with a perfect score, or 9 points, in a 4-0 victory over Timor Leste, 5-1 over Hong Kong and Vietnam.

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Vietnam is in second place with 6 points, winning 5-1 over Hong Kong, 4-0 over Timor Leste and losing to Indonesia. Vietnam can qualify if it is included in the second best five of the ten runners-up.

Ferrari was not careful in blocking a pass which resulted in the goal. Furthermore, Dinh The Nam's team took the lead through midfielder Nguyen Duc Anh's goal in the 78th minute.

Garuda Muda took the lead through substitute midfielder Marselino Ferdinan's goal in the 60th minute. However, Vietnam turned things around on a counter-attack, which resulted in an own goal by defender and captain Muhammad Ferarri in the 66th minute. Ferrari was not careful in blocking a pass which resulted in the goal. Furthermore, Dinh The Nam's team took the lead through midfielder Nguyen Duc Anh's goal in the 78th minute.

Not wanting to disappoint the nearly 23,000 supporters, Garuda Muda continued to press on. The struggle of Shin Tae-yong's team has a sweet outcome. Ferarri made amends by scoring with a header following a pass from a corner kick in the 81st minute. Substitute striker, Rabbani Tasnim Siddiq, scored another goal for Indonesia's victory in the 85th minute.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Indonesian U-19 player Arkhan Fikri (right) faces Vietnam's Nguyen Than Nhan in the U-20 Asian Cup Qualification Match at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya City, East Java, on Sunday (18/9/2022).

Rabbani gave the finishing touch to midfielder Alfriyanto Nico Saputra's shot from the left side of the Vietnam goal which hit goalkeeper Cao Van Binh's hand.

In the final match, goalkeeper Cahya Supriadi did not join the Indonesian team. Cahya was injured in the second match, against Hong Kong, following a collision with a fellow Indonesian player. Substitute goalkeeper Aditya Arya Nugraha came on to guard Garuda Muda's goal. Aditya performed impressively by thwarting at least four golden opportunities for Vietnam.

Joy and evaluation

In the press conference after the match, Shin expressed his joy with the extraordinary struggle of his team which resulted in victory. Shin’s expectation that the final group match would be attended by more spectators to give more enthusiasm to Indonesia was also fulfilled. In the previous two matches, the attendance of the audience was a maximum of 3,000 people, so the attendance at the final group match increased by 7-8 times.

"We are relieved to have qualified, but the team still needs improvement in order to perform better during the tournament," said Shin.

In that decisive match, Vietnam maximized the counter-attack to become a goal.

The South Korean coach confirmed the statement that one of his team's weaknesses was blocking counter-attacks. In that decisive match, Vietnam maximized the counter-attack to become a goal.

Shin continued, the counterattack would be one of improvement and evaluation for the team. "Yes, it will be improved and evaluated," he said.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Shin Tae -yong

Vietnam coach Dinh The Nam said Indonesia's performance was extraordinary. Vietnam had the upper hand when they took a 1-2 lead by exploring the weakness of the host defense on the counter-attack. However, Indonesia showed toughness and perseverance in its attack so that it was able to turn the situation around.

"Our fears have come true," said Dinh. Indonesian players who were considered dangerous, including Marselino and Rabbani, turned out to be difficult to suppress and could still make an important contribution to Indonesia's victory. Vietnam is still waiting for the results of the other groups and hopes that they will qualify as one of the five best second-placed teams.

In another match in Group F, Timor Leste kept the honor by turning things around and winning 2-1 (0-1) over Hong Kong. Even though they won, it was not enough to bring Timor Leste to Uzbekistan. (BRO)

(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo)