Indonesian coach Shin Tae-yong, who defeated Australia, said, "I wish we had met Japan rather than Korea in the quarterfinals“

Shin Tae-yong, head coach of the Indonesian Olympic team. 

Shin Tae-yong, coach of the Indonesian Olympic soccer team that defeated Australia, expressed his wish to meet Japan rather than Korea in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup.

Indonesia, led by coach Shin Tae-yong, won 1-0 in the second match of the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup Group A against Australia held at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 18th (Korean time).

Indonesia, which lost 0-2 to Qatar in the first game, ranked second in the group after Qatar (6 points) with 1 win and 1 loss (3 points). Jordan and Australia each have 1 draw and 1 loss (1 point).

Indonesia defeated Australia and announced its prospects of advancing to the quarterfinals.

In this tournament, if the points are tied, the ranking is determined entirely by the opponent, so Indonesia can advance to the quarterfinals with at least a draw in the final group match against Jordan on the 22nd.

According to AFC, coach Shin Tae-yong said in an interview after the game, “I expected it would be a difficult game because Australia is a very good team and is better than us in all aspects, including physical condition, individual skills, and speed,” and added, “We needed a strong mentality.” “Thanks to all the players working hard, we achieved good results,” he said.

He continued, “Our team continues to improve. That’s why we were able to win against Australia,” he added. Coach Shin chose the most decisive moment of the game that day when he conceded a penalty kick to the opponent but did not concede a goal. In the 25th minute of the first half, a handball foul by Indonesia gave Australia a penalty kick, but goalkeeper Hernando Ari blocked the opponent Mohamed Toure's shot. Coach Shin said, “The most threatening moment was when the penalty kick was awarded. “Thanks to overcoming (the crisis) well, there were good results,” he explained. If Indonesia, which belongs to Group A, advances to second place in the quarterfinals, it will face the leader of Group B. Group B includes Korea, Japan, China, and the United Arab Emirates, and it appears that Korea and Japan will compete for first place in the group. Coach Shin said, “I am confident that (Indonesia) will advance to the quarterfinals, so I will pay more attention to Korea and Japan. Although I do not decide (the opponent), I feel more comfortable facing Japan than Korea.” 토토사이트