Jordanian coach Abdallah Abu Zema believes that the U-23 Indonesian National Team is a difficult opponent to face in the final group stage match of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup.
This statement was the impact of Indonesia U-23 who managed to beat Australia 1-0 in the second match of Group A at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Qatar, Thursday (18/4/2024). Garuda Muda’s single goal was created by Komang Teguh Trisnanda.
British media, the Daily Mail, said that this defeat could destroy Australia’s dream of winning the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Australia’s dominant stopped after Mohamed Toure’s penalty in the 25th minute was saved by the Indonesian goalkeeper, Ernando Ari Sutaryadi.
The Jordan vs Indonesia match itself will take place on Sunday (21/4/2024). This match is very important because it will determine the two teams holding tickets to the quarter-finals of Group A, apart from Qatar, which is certain to qualify.
Jordan needs a win and hopes Australia loses or draws against Qatar. Meanwhile, Indonesia is required to get points, either winning or just drawing, to ensure progress to the quarter-finals.
After his team lost to Qatar on the second matchday of the group phase, Abu Zema realized that there was still a chance to qualify that they had to try because Indonesia was not an easy opponent.
“The hope is that we can still qualify and we still have one match remaining, a difficult match against Indonesia, and we will do our best to qualify,” said Abu Zema as quoted from the official AFC website.
“We need to focus on improving weaknesses and fixing weaknesses, I will repeat that I am proud of my team’s performance [against Qatar]. We will be in the next round if we can maintain enthusiasm, focus and commitment [in the next match],” he added.
Currently Jordan is in third place in Group A with one point obtained after a draw against Australia.
From two matches, Jordan scored one goal and conceded two goals. The only Jordanian goal was created from the penalty spot executed by Aref Al-Haj against Qatar.
Image source: goal.com
