If there is a dark horse in the U23 Asian Cup, Indonesia U23 deserves it!
In the eight-in-four match, Indonesia defeated South Korea on penalties to advance to the semi-finals.
Indonesian football is not only impressive in the final result, but also in the course of the game.
Indonesia pressed and played, pressed the South Korean team to play!
Although the strength of the current U23 South Korean team is not very strong, and many problems were exposed in the game with the Chinese team, South Korea, as a traditional strong team, still has a fighting power and willpower that should not be underestimated.
But the dark horse Indonesia didn't think so, and they finally did it, playing 2:2 in regular time and extra time, and they were equalized by the South Korean team after taking the lead, and Indonesia won the penalty shootout 11:10 by one goal and eliminated the South Korean team.
Not only did Indonesia perform well in this game, but also won over Australia and Jordan in the group stage, and finished second in the group. Australia is also a traditional powerhouse, with Indonesia winning 1-0.
Who would have thought that the Indonesian team, which used to be the belly of Asian football, would make such rapid progress?! That is, in two or three years, the whole of Asia will get to know them again!
A three-way win over Vietnam brought Trussier home, a recent win for Indonesian football.
Thinking of the defeat of the Chinese team by Vietnam for the Chinese New Year, and the lack of any benefits under the hands of Australia and South Korea, Koreanphobia suppressed Chinese football for more than 20 years.
The Asian Cup was defeated by Japan and South Korea without scoring a goal, and the U23 Asian Cup was defeated by Japan and South Korea, and the group did not qualify. The last-round victory over the UAE can only be used as a final fig leaf.
The current Chinese football is not only getting more and more distant from the traditional strong teams, but also unable to compete with Japan, South Korea, Iran, Australia and Saudi Arabia, but also the new forces of Asian football, Tajikistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc., have also begun to leave the Chinese team behind!
If you fall behind, you will be beaten! Some fans said, Who else can the current national football team beat? It will be difficult to beat Singapore, and Thailand will be terrified, and no one will dare to guarantee the victory or defeat!
Does anyone think that Indonesia's rise is due to naturalized players? Indonesia does have naturalized players, and there are quite a few of them, and there are four U23 national teams, occupying a key position in the central axis. There are also as many as six or seven naturalized players in the senior national team, and these naturalized players are helping Indonesia clearly and quickly.
But it would be unrealistic to attribute the growth and progress of Indonesian football entirely to naturalized players!
For example, if only three or four naturalized players perform well, and the other players pull their hips, can Indonesia win against South Korea and Australia?
No, after all, football is a team sport and a star may play a role in a crucial moment, but it is by no means decisive. Just put Ronaldo in the Chinese team, can we win South Korea and Japan?!
Therefore, Chinese football should calm down and carefully consider how our path should go?