The Shiro Copr - The Indonesia U23 national football team only needs a draw against Malaysia U-23 to qualify for the semifinals of the 2025 ASEAN U23 Championship.
However, the team coached by Gerald Vanenburg did not want to take any risks. Victory remained the main goal to secure the team's chances.
Nevertheless, the Garuda Muda team is not yet completely safe. In Group A, no team has been officially eliminated yet. Also, no one has secured the key to advance to the top four.
Indonesia U23 National Team, which is currently at the top of Group A with six points, still has the potential to be eliminated even though it is leading.
The Philippines and Malaysia are in second and third positions, each having collected three points. Meanwhile, Brunei is at the bottom with still zero points.
Young Tim Garuda will face Malaysia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, at 20:00 WIB or 21:00 WITA. This match can be watched through live broadcast on Indonesiar.
At the same time, the Philippines faced Brunei at Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium on Monday (19/7/2025) at 20:00 WIB.
There are scenarios that could eliminate the Indonesian national team. And this must be taken seriously by Jan Ravens and his team. The scenario is Indonesia losing by more than one goal to Malaysia.
If this occurs, Garuda Muda risks losing the top position in the standings.
If the Philippines achieves a big victory over Brunei Darussalam, then maybe the Indonesia U23 national team will be caught in head-to-head calculations or goal difference.
The group winner will automatically qualify for the semifinals, while the second-placed team still has a chance to qualify as the best runner-up, depending on the results of other group standings.
Otherwise, to avoid taking risks, victory becomes an absolute must. "We haven't thought about advancing to the semifinals yet. Next, we have to face Malaysia. We want to focus first on facing Malaysia," said Gerald Vanenburg to the media, including BolaSport.com.
Malaysia performed poorly in the ASEAN Cup U-23, losing 0-2 to the Philippines and failing to keep a clean sheet when winning 7-1 against Brunei. Meanwhile, Indonesia defeated Brunei 8-0 and beat the Philippines 1-0.
There are three Indonesian players suspected of posing a threat to the team coached by Nafuzi Zain.
The first player is Rayhan Hannan Vanenburg playing trisula, with Rezki Arjuna on the left wing, Jens Raven/Hokky Caraka in the center, and Rayhan Hannan on the right wing.
Among the three positions, Rayhan can be considered the most consistent player, compared to Rezki who contributes minimally and the two strikers who take turns getting injured.
Rayhan has already scored one goal, as well as countless positive actions in the forward line that made the opposing defenders receive yellow cards.
She can play on the left wing, dueting with teammate Dony Tri Pamungkas, if Victor Dethan enters as the right winger.
The second player is Dony Tri Pamungkas. At just 20 years old, he has become the only player trusted in two consecutive matches in the defense line.
Vanenburg replaced three players in the central and right-back positions, but not the left-back. Dony offered speed and precise crosses, which led a Filipino player to receive a yellow card.
Last name is of course Jens Raven. Raven is the top scorer of this tournament with six goals, all of them scored against Brunei's goal.
Against the Philippines, he also added a goal, but it was ruled offside. The problem within him is the physical factor, where he suffered cramps against Brunei and could only be a substitute in the next match.
According to national football observer Gita Suwondo, the Garuda Muda team must perform more sharply than in the previous two matches.
"There must be improvements against Malaysia, because essentially we need a goal. Don't just try to look at the semifinals or final, but how we can finish the game with a goal when facing Malaysia," said Gita Suwondo to Kompas.com.
"In short, we are facing an opponent that is somewhat balanced, we can't finish the game, and that's dangerous. Because leading by just one goal is dangerous until the final minute, even though our defense is solid," said the senior sports journalist.
Referring to the history of meetings between the two teams, Malaysia U23 has a better head-to-head record. The two teams have met twice, and the neighboring team has never lost.
In the 2019 AFF U23 Cup, the national team led by Indra Sjafri became champions after defeating Thailand 2-1 in the final.
However, on the way to the championship title, the Indonesia U23 team was held to a 2-2 draw against Malaysia in Group B preliminary round.
Then the Indonesia U23 National Team met Malaysia again in the AFF U23 2023. At that time, the Indonesia U23 National Team led by Shin Tae-yong finished as runners-up of that edition of the tournament.
However, in the group stage, the Garuda Muda team lost 1-2 against Malaysia. Malaysia's two goals were scored through a brace by Fergus Tierney. And now, Fergus Tierney is still part of the Malaysian squad. If not contained, he has the potential to be a threat. (tribunnews)
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