Fajar's Surprise Performance Leads "Young Garuda" to the Semifinals

The U-22 team became the first team to advance to the semifinals with a perfect record of three wins. In the semifinals, Indonesia will meet the runner-up of Group B.

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

Indonesian national team striker, M Sananta tries to head the ball from a corner kick in the Timor Leste penalty box, in Phnom Penh, Sunday (7/5/2023) afternoon..

PHNOM PENH, KOMPAS — The Indonesian Under-22 football team overpowered Timor Leste 3-0 in the Group A preliminary match of the 2023 Cambodia Southeast Asian Games in the National Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh on Sunday (7/5/2023). Thanks to the victory, the "Young Garuda" team maintained its tradition of advancing to the SEA Games semifinals.

The U-22 team became the first team to advance to the semifinals with a perfect record of three wins. Since the 2011 Games in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia has always advanced to the semifinals.

In yesterday's match, the "Red and White" team played quite slowly in the early minutes. Timor Leste took advantage of this and posed a few threats to the Indonesian defense. Nevertheless, the defense led by Rizky Ridho Ramadhani was able to withstand those attacks. Indonesian goalkeeper Muhammad Adisatriyo also managed to save his goal.

Before the first half ended, Indonesia scored a goal through Sananta who capitalized on Muhammad Fajar Fathur Rahman's pass. Indonesia led 1-0 until the halftime whistle was blown.

Also read:

> Indra's Strategy for Solid Teamwork

> Young Garuda to Optimize Fitness Against Myanmar

Starting from the first minute, Fajar put pressure on the opponent's defense several times. The Young Garuda right winger diligently pierced the opponent's defensive area. He supported the team's attacks and also tried to regain the ball in defensive situations.

In the second half, Indonesian coach Indra Sjafri brought in Bagas Kaffa and Irfan Jauhari to change the game's rhythm. They replaced Rio Fahmi and Witan Sulaeman who had missed a few goal opportunities in the first half.

The rhythm of Indonesia's game became much faster in the second half. Fajar continued to go crazy. He scored a goal in the 62nd minute after utilizing Ananda Raehan's pass. Shortly thereafter, precisely 13 minutes later, Fajar scored again by taking advantage of the melee in front of Timor Leste's goal.

This came as a surprise to me because Fajar's previous position was right-back. Then, after I tried him on the wing, it turned out he succeeded,

Indra Sjafri was surprised by Fajar's performance. In three games, he has already scored four goals. Fajar now heads the list of top scorers.

"This came as a surprise to me because Fajar's previous position was right-back. Then, after I tried him on the wing, it turned out he succeeded," said Indra in a press conference after the match.

Fajar became the center of attention for all teams. Seeing this, Indra was not worried. According to him, all the goals scored by Fajar were a team effort. "Football is 11 people. Fajar scored goals, but it's because of his teammates. What is important for us is how to improve the quality of play," said Indra.

Indonesia still has one more match left in the Group A preliminary round, against host Cambodia. Indra hinted that he would rotate players in the match on Wednesday (10/5/2023).

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

Hundreds of supporters of the Indonesian "Garuda Muda" Team cheered after the national team won the match against Timor Leste in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday (7/5/2023). Indonesia won 3-0.

The purpose of the rotation is to rest some players. "There are two or three positions [that will be rotated]. We are still looking for who is the most suitable to fill them," said Indra.

In line with Indra’s comments, for Fajar, teamwork was the most important thing. He did not think too much about how many goals and assists he made, only how Indonesia can win. "The match was so tight, but we managed to get three points," said Fajar in a press conference after the match.

Indonesia is aiming for the gold medal, an achievement that was last attained in 1991 in the Philippines. At that time, there was no age limit for football players to compete in the SEA Games. Currently, the event is only participated by U-22 players.

The best team

So far, the Young Garuda has performed perfectly. It has not conceded a single goal and has managed to score 11 goals from three matches. Indonesia's attacking and defensive performances are the best among the ten participating teams.

Indra hopes that the team's performance can remain consistent until the final and achieve its target. "To reach the final, there are several stages that must be passed. We still have one match in Group A. So, there will certainly be a major overhaul. After that, we hope to have a one-week break before heading to the semifinals," said Indra.

Also read:

> President Sees off Indonesian Contingents to Cambodia

In the semifinals, Indonesia will meet the runner-up of Group B. Until last night, it could not be predicted who the champion and runner-up of Group B would be due to the intense competition in that "death" group. Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia are still competing for the chance to top Group B.

Thailand and Vietnam, the two finalists from the previous match, now both have six points from two matches. Meanwhile, Malaysia is in third place with three points from two matches.

"We have successfully passed the group stage. There are only two stages left, the semifinals and the final. With the right periodization, all of that can be achieved until the final," said Fajar.

This article was translated by Tenggara Strategics.