In recent years, Southeast Asian football has gradually emerged on the international stage, and its rise has become more and more significant in this year's U23 Asian Cup.
In the first two rounds of the group stage, three teams from Southeast Asia staged eye-catching upsets, bringing a breath of fresh air to the Asian football landscape.
At the same time, the form of the Chinese Olympic team in the competition is also in the spotlight, and they will face South Korea in the second round to fight hard for the hope of qualifying. In the match against the favourites Australia, the Indonesian team can be described as a surprise dark horse.
Against a strong Australian side, they adopted a solid defensive strategy, effectively keeping the opposition's attack at bay as if they had built an iron bucket.
The situation on the pitch was at a stalemate, but Indonesia's defensive counter-attacking rhythm caused Australia a lot of problems. In the first half of the game, Indonesia's goalkeeper Sataridi became the focus of the game.
He managed to save Australia's penalty at a crucial moment, a magical performance that left fans in awe.
"This save is so crucial! Sataridi is simply our patron saint!" said an Indonesian fan excitedly to his friend.
There was also a heated discussion about Sataridi on the Internet, and someone joked: "Australia's penalty master met a real penalty finisher today!"
With the end of the first half, the situation on the field still did not change much. But after the start of the second half, Indonesia found the back of the net. A corner gave them a good chance to break the deadlock.
Standing near the corner, Teres deftly slotted the ball into the box and then headed home in the scuffle!
"This is such a beautiful goal! Teres's header is so solid!" a fan jumped up excitedly at the scene, and the surrounding fans cheered.
The Internet also boiled instantly, and some fans said: "This is the strength of our Indonesia, not to accept the battle!" As the game progressed, the Indonesian team continued to maintain a solid defense and did not give the Australian team any chance.
Although the Australian team launched several fierce attacks, they were all cleared by the Indonesian team's defence. In the end, the Indonesian team won with a score of 1-0 to earn an exhilarating victory for Southeast Asian football.
"This victory is so important, our Indonesian football is finally on the world stage," said an Indonesian fan excitedly.
And the Internet is also full of praise about Indonesian football, with some netizens praising it: "The performance of the Indonesian team is surprising, this is the charm of football!"
The Vietnamese team showed an efficient counter-attack and tenacity in the match against Kuwait. At the beginning of the match, the Vietnamese team faced a numerical disadvantage, and the atmosphere on the court was tense and challenging.
But they didn't let the adversity knock them down, but rose to the challenge with a determined attitude. The coach kept shouting tactics from the sidelines, and the players were fully engaged in the game.
Kuwait started the game in control of the game and launched frequent attacks to try to keep Vietnam at bay in the half. The Vietnamese team did not take a passive beating, but relied on agile counter-attacking tactics to launch a sharp attack when the time came.
A Kuwaiti mistake gave Vietnam a great chance to counter-attack, and the players launched a quick attack that eventually led to a goal from Nguyen Van Truong to give the team the lead.
In the end, Vietnam won a 3-1 victory over Kuwait to earn themselves an important victory.
Thailand also showed a great performance against Iraq. From the very beginning of the game, the Iraqi team controlled the tempo of the game, launching frequent attacks and trying to find the opening goal.
The Thai team was very well organised defensively, with every player defending and reacting immediately when the ball was sent to the vicinity of the penalty area.
Although Iraq made several attempts to break down Thailand's goal from set-pieces, they were successfully defused by the Thai defenders. The Thai team, on the other hand, took advantage of the Iraqi team's offensive break and launched a counterattack through precise set-piece tactics.
A corner gave them a good chance to score, and the players reacted quickly with an assist from Veres and Tirissa heading home to give the team the lead.
As the match progressed, the Thai team continued to maintain a high level of defensive tension and did not give the Iraqi team the slightest respite. They are very determined on the pitch and keep proving their quality with their actions.
In the end, Thailand won a crucial victory for themselves with a 2-0 victory over Iraq.
On January 29, 2024, in the 1/8 finals of the Asian Cup in Qatar, the Iraqi team suffered misfortune and lost 2-3 to the Jordan team, and was forced to go out of the tournament early.
At the post-match press conference, some of the emotional Iraqi journalists expressed their displeasure with Iraqi coach Casas.
They felt that Casas was too keen to give interviews to the Spanish media in their home country during the Asian Cup and ignored the importance of preparing for the game.
When Coach Casas appeared at the press conference, some reporters stood up and gave him harsh rebukes, and the sound almost broke the ceiling of the venue.
They accused Casas of not being focused enough and that he was not doing his duty as a coach. One journalist excitedly shouted: "Casas, do you think your performance is up to the mark? How can you be so busy giving interviews before a game that you neglect the team's preparations?"
Casas was at a loss in the face of reporters' questioning, but he tried to explain his actions.
"Just because I'm interviewed doesn't mean I'm ignoring the team's preparation, I'm always trying to prepare for the team," he said. However, his explanation did not quell the anger of the crowd.
Some netizens also expressed their opinions on the incident on social media. There are those who support Casas, believing that he deserves more respect and understanding, after all, he also works hard for the good of the team.
Others believe that Casas's behaviour is not professional enough and that he should focus more on the team's preparations rather than spending his time in media interviews.
In the aftermath, the Iraqi Football Federation posted on its official social media in support of Casas and criticized those in the media who accused him. They said they would take legal action to protect Casas' rights and interests, and they were confident in the team's future games.
The whole incident caused quite a stir in international football, and many fans and media were following the movements of the Iraqi team and coach Casas.
For his part, Casas will continue to work hard to achieve his goal of leading Iraq to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The Chinese Olympic team failed to win in the first two rounds, but they still have a chance to come back against South Korea in the second round.
If they can give it their all, they may be able to score a crucial point and create more possibilities for qualifying. The Chinese Olympic team has both challenges and opportunities, and we look forward to their better performance in the next competitions.
The rise of Southeast Asian teams in this U23 Asian Cup not only highlights the improvement of football in the region, but also brings new changes to the Asian football landscape.
At the same time, the performance of the Chinese Olympic team in the competition has also attracted much attention, and they will continue to work hard to strive for better results and contribute to the future of Chinese football.
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