Against Yemen, Benchmark of the Quality of the Indonesian U-20 Team

SHENZHEN, TUESDAY – Although it has been confirmed that they are eliminated, the final match of Group C in the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup against Yemen, Wednesday (19/2/2025) at 18.30 WIB, at the Shenzhen Youth Football Training Center Stadium, China, is more than just an exhibition game for the U-20 Indonesian team. The result of the game against Yemen is a benchmark to assess the outcome of the program led by Indra Sjafri that began in May 2024.

Indonesia suffered two consecutive defeats from Iran and Uzbekistan. The negative record with a goal difference of 1-6 caused the "Young Garuda" to be the second team eliminated despite being group champions in the qualification round.

Qatar, which is in Group A, topped the group in the first preliminary round but was eliminated from the competition for a quarter-final ticket after losing to Australia on Sunday (16/2/2025) afternoon WIB. In the first game, they were defeated by the host team, China. Indonesia followed Qatar two hours later after losing to Uzbekistan.

With results far from expectations in the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup, it proves that the quality of young players developed in Indonesia is increasingly struggling to catch up with the level of other teams in Asia. Dony Tri Pamungkas and his teammates indeed began their preparation period positively thanks to winning the 2024 AFF U-19 Championship.

At the regional level tournament, Garuda Muda played five matches flawlessly. The Philippines, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Malaysia, and Thailand were defeated to lift the championship trophy at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya, East Java, on July 29, 2024.

However, when entering the competition at the Asian level, Garuda Muda struggled to soar high. A year-long training camp that started in Como, Italy, and Japan, followed by participation in international tournaments in France and South Korea, was not enough to meet the target of qualifying for the U-20 World Cup in Chile 2025.

In the qualification event for the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup in September 2024, signs of failure to perform well at the Asian level were already evident when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Yemen in the final game.

Playing at their home ground, Madya Stadium Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, was not enough to help Indonesia sweep all three qualifying games with victories. The other two opponents in the qualifying round were teams far below Indonesia, namely the Maldives and Timor Leste.

After securing a place in the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup, intensive training camps in Japan, then participating in tournaments against Jordan, Syria and India in Sidoarjo, East Java, last January, did not have a significant impact.

Indonesia fell by conceding three goals each from Iran and Uzbekistan. That means in three consecutive official matches, the Garuda Muda squad failed to win.

The tournament is not over yet as we still have one match. All the players are ready. Hopefully we can get a positive result.

As a result, the second duel against Yemen in the last five months should be a barometer to measure the development of Indonesia's quality. If it is a draw or a loss, it shows that the one-year concentration program initiated by the U-20 team coaching team and PSSI has failed to have an impact on the players.

Indra understands the importance of the match against Yemen. He is determined to help his team bring home a positive result before closing their participation in the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup.

"The tournament is not over yet because we still have one match. All players are ready. Hopefully we can achieve positive results," said Indra.

Indra stressed that the negative results in the 2025 U-20 Asian Cup were the responsibility of the coaching team. The players, he added, had given their best abilities individually and collectively.

"The three matches in the Asian Cup (U-20) are certainly very beneficial for the players. They gain experience, learning, and innovation that can help them develop in the future," said Indra who led Garuda Muda in three editions of the Asian Cup U-20.

Indra led the Indonesian U-20 team in the 2014, 2018, and 2025 editions of the U-20 Asian Cup. Of the three occasions, Indra's best achievement was reaching the quarter-finals in 2018. At that time, the young Indonesian squad consisting of the Egy Maulana Vikri and Witan Sulaeman generations was eliminated by Japan at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta.

In the 2014 edition, Indra's team was defeated by Uzbekistan, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates in the group stage. Although they were eliminated, Indra at least had the ambition that the result in Myanmar 2014 when they returned home without points would not be repeated.

Jens Raven, Indonesian striker, considered his team's game in the match against Uzbekistan had improved compared to the first game against Iran. Having held Uzbekistan to a 1-1 draw in the first half, Raven continued, the Indonesian team suffered from conceding a quick goal at the start of the second half of the match.

"We already know the strength of Yemen after meeting in the qualifying round. We want to close our participation in the Asian Cup with a win. All players are ready to give 100 percent to win," said Raven who scored the only goal against Uzbekistan.