The first obstacle that brought Indonesia down to its knees by the Malaya Tiger was fatigue. Playing four games in seven consecutive days drained the squad's energy.
By
IKHSAN MAHAR
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KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO
The expression of players from the Indonesian U-17 team after conceding a goal against the Malaysian U-17 team in the U-17 2023 Asian Cup Qualification match at Pakansari Stadium, Bogor, West Java, on Sunday (9/10/2022).
A crushing defeat of 1-5 against Malaysia has dimmed Indonesia's dream of competing in the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup. Fatigue and the absence of Iqbal Gwijangge were factors in the Garuda Muda soccer team performing badly.
BOGOR, KOMPAS — Two obstacles haunted the Indonesian team ahead of their match against Malaysia in the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup qualifications on Sunday night (9/10/2022) at the Pakansari Stadium, Bogor, West Java. As a result, Bima Sakti's Garuda Muda was crushed by Malaysia 1-5, so the chances of going to the Asian Cup are very slim.
The first obstacle that brought Indonesia down to its knees by the Malaya Tiger was fatigue. Playing four games in seven consecutive days drained the squad's energy.
The break was not enough to allow Indonesian players restore their fitness. Several Indonesian players, such as Arkhan Kaka Putra, Muhammad Nabil Asyura and Sulthan Zaky Pramana, failed to show their best game.
Kaka, who has a high shooting accuracy, for example, failed to score from the penalty box. The moment occurred 85 seconds into the match, hitting the opponent's crossbar.
Although he was able to score a consolation goal for Indonesia in the 93rd minute, Kaka lost his touch in the penalty box. He scored a goal after taking advantage of the block of the Malaysian goalkeeper, Muhammad Farish Farhan.
The second obstacle was the absence of the captain who is also a central defender, Muhammad Iqbal Gwijangge, due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Without Iqbal, Bima gave the captain's armband to Zaky. Iqbal's position as a tandem for Zaky, a PSM Makassar Academy player, was given to Femas Aprian Crespo. However, Bima's decision did not go according to plan.
Zaky failed to replace Iqbal's role as a leader as well as a coordinator at the back line. Meanwhile, Crespo, who played defensive midfielder, often made mistakes that made it easy for Malaysia to dismantle Garuda Muda's defense.
Malaysia then initiated a counterattack with three attacking players. Meanwhile, the only Indonesian player left was Zaky. As a result, Malaysia was able to score the second goal through Muhammad Arami Wafiy's kick.
When controlling the ball in the midfield in the 20th minute, for example, Crespo was too eager to get past Malaysian striker, Muhammad Anjazmirza. The ball could have been dispossessed by Anjazmirza. Malaysia then initiated a counterattack with three attacking players. Meanwhile, the only Indonesian player left was Zaky. As a result, Malaysia was able to score the second goal through Muhammad Arami Wafiy's kick.
KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO
Indonesia U-17 midfielder Figo Dennis Saputrananto (left) fights for the ball with Malaysia U-17 team defender Muhammad Danish Darus (right) in the U-17 2023 Asian Cup Qualification match at Pakansari Stadium, Bogor, West Java, on Sunday (9/10/2022).
Bima Sakti apologized to Indonesian soccer supporters for the defeat to Malaysia. Even though he had prepared himself to play without Iqbal, said Bima, a poor back line coordination was the main factor in the crushing defeat.
"It could be that this defeat was due to fatigue. We should be able to rotate more often in the early games. So, this bad result is the fault of the coach, not the players," Bima said after the match.
The result of the last match was very disappointing for Bima and the Indonesian players. The majority of the Garuda Muda squad members cried at the end of the match. In fact, they only needed a draw to seal a ticket at the Asian Cup as a group winner.
“Malaysia's goals were scored so quickly that the mentality of the players dropped. I hope all players learn from it for their next career,” said Bima.
Counter-attack
Malaysia's goals began with a quick counter-attack strategy on both sides of the wing. The guest team was waiting for the Indonesian players to get the ball and attack. After getting the ball, it was immediately directed to both wing players with high speed, namely Arami and Muhammad Danish Iskandar.
Malaysia coach Osmera bin Omaro emphasized that qualifying for the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup was revenge for their failure to qualify from the group stage in the 2022 AFF U-16 Cup. "My players can carry out all directions and put on top performances," said Osmera.
Indonesia completed qualification in Group B in second place thanks to a collection of nine points from four matches. Indonesia's chance to compete in the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup can only be made through the second best ranking.
KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO
Indonesia U-17 midfielder Achmad Zidan Rosyid (back) fights for the ball with Malaysia U-17 team defender Muhammad Faris Danish (front) in the U-17 2023 Asian Cup Qualification match at Pakansari Stadium, Bogor, West Java, on Sunday (9/10/2022).
However, Indonesia's chance to win one of the six tickets as the second best is very difficult. Of the 10 qualifying groups, there are six groups containing only four teams. Indonesia's landslide victory, 14-0, over the bottom team in Group B, namely Guam, and the fourth-placed team, Palestine, were excluded from the calculation of the second best ranking.
So, Indonesia has collected three points, currently occupying the seventh position in the calculation of the best runner-up. (SAN)
