Saved a penalty, Ernando Ari was praised by Shin Tae-yong and Tony Vidmar
Indonesia only needs one point in the final match against Jordan to qualify for the knockout phase.
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Indonesian U-23 goalkeeper Ernando Ari denied Australia's penalty opportunity during the Group A match of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup on Thursday (18/4/2024) at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Ernando's brilliant performance helped secure Indonesia's victory.
DOHA, THURSDAY — Indonesia U-23 Coach Shin Tae-yong and Australia U-23 Coach Tony Vidmar both acknowledged Ernando Ari's save a> Mohamed Toure's penalty kick in the 25th minute changed the course of the match between the two teams, Thursday (18/4/2024), at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. "Young Garuda"'s self-confidence skyrocketed after that moment, while Australia became increasingly frustrated at failing to dismantle Indonesia's defense. Indonesia leads 1-0.
Ernando was able to parry well the shot of Australian striker, Toure, who directed the ball to his left side. Ernando's tip increased the morale of his teammates. The penalty was given by the referee from Saudi Arabia, Majed Mohammed al-Shamrani, after consulting with the video assistant referee (VAR) and replaying the video of the handball incident from Indonesian center back, Komang Teguh.
Also read: Indonesia vs Australia, a rare victory for "Garuda Muda"
"Of course, the penalty situation presented a crisis for us. Our goalkeeper made an important save which became a crucial moment in the match," said Shin in a press conference after the game.
Vidmar also expressed a similar sentiment. According to him, the match will favor his team if Toure, who is defending Paris FC, can score a penalty kick.
Their (Indonesian) goalkeeper performed outstandingly and their defense did everything to repel our (attacks).
Indonesian U-23 goalkeeper, Ernando Ari, was embraced by his teammates after fending off Australia's penalty opportunity in the Group A match of the 2024 U-23 Asia Cup on Thursday (18/4/2024) at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Ernando's brilliant performance helped secure Indonesia's victory.
"When we failed to score a goal, the advantage of the match turned against us. We then also failed to capitalize on some of our opportunities. Their goalkeeper (Indonesia) was outstanding and their defense did everything to stop our attacks," said Vidmar.
After the penalty situation, Australia still managed to create chances from a corner kick. Toure had another opportunity to take a shot, but Ernando once again was able to thwart his attempt.
Also read: Indonesia vs Australia, Komang brings "Garuda Muda" ahead in the first half
On the contrary, at the end of the first half, precisely in the 45th minute, Komang redeemed his "sin". He contributed a header goal from a tumultuous situation that began from Indonesia's second corner kick opportunity in that match.
Komang, who defended the champion team of the regular series of the BRI League 1 2023-2024 Borneo FC, continued a curved kick from midfielder Nathan Tjoe-A-on to shake the net of the "Olyroos", the nickname of the Australian U-23 team.
Tony Vidmar, coach of Australia's U-23 team, observed his protégés' game against Indonesia in the Group A match of the 2024 Asia U-23 Cup on Thursday (18/4/2024) at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha.
Not the first
Ernando, the goalkeeper of Persebaya Surabaya, is a nightmare for Australia U-23 in penalty opportunities. Prior to his performance in Doha, Ernando had also thwarted the penalty taken by an Australia U-23 player in the 2022 Asian U-23 Cup Qualifiers in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in October 2021.
At that time, Ernando blocked the penalty kick by Olyroos striker Patrick Wood, when the match had only been running for three minutes. Unfortunately, Indonesia lost 2-3 in that game. In the first opportunity of the U-23 Asia Cup Qualifiers, Shin failed to lead Indonesia to the final round due to a 2-4 aggregate loss to Australia.
Also read: Indonesia gets additional ammunition ahead of life-and-death match against Australia
Aside from the influence of Ernando, Shin also praised the performances of other Indonesian players. Shin assessed Australia's performance to be similar to his initial expectations which showed good gameplay and excellent physical abilities.
"Before the match, I told the players not to give up and to maintain their self-confidence. The players showed extraordinary efforts. However, this team can still continue to develop," said Shin.
Left winger of the Indonesian U-23 team, Pratama Arhan, headed the ball in an aerial duel with an Australian player during the Group A match of the 2024 Asia Cup U-23 on Thursday (18/4/2024), at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha.
In two games in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, Shin utilized a combination of qualities between players who appeared in League 1 and players who played abroad. Four players in the defense line, such as Ernando, Komang, Rizky Ridho and Muhammad Ferrari, are players who defend local teams.
Players who have a career abroad, such as Nathan, Marselino Ferdinan, Rafael Struick, Pratama Arhan, and Justin Hubner, as well as Witan Sulaeman, who once played in Eastern Europe, are able to become the backbone of the Garuda Muda squad. In addition to Nathan, who provides assists, Marselino also plays a crucial role in the midfield. The player from the Liga Persebaya academy successfully executed three dribbles.
Also read: Win or Go Home, Team "Garuda Muda"
”Players who play regularly in League 1 have good game sense. It helps them develop themselves. "The combination of local players (in the team) and those who play in the European League is our key to improving the quality of the team," said Shin, who brought South Korea to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics through the 2016 Qatar U-23 Asian Cup.
Needs one point
In another match in Group A, Qatar has secured a spot in the knockout phase. This was confirmed by their 2-1 victory over Jordan at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on Thursday night.
Rafael Struick, an Indonesian forward, is competing for the ball against Qatari defender, Al-Hasmi Mohialdin, in the first match of Group A of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup on Monday (15/4/2024) at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar. Qatar defeated Jordan in the second match, 2-1, also at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan, on Thursday (18/4/2024).
The home team's victory was contributed by goals from Abdulla al-Yazidi and Mohammad Naceur, while Jordan's goal was scored by Aref Haitham from the penalty spot. With a collection of six points, Qatar has sealed their ticket to the knockout phase as only Indonesia has a chance to surpass their points.
Indonesia only needs one point in the match against Jordan to qualify for the round of 16, on Sunday (21/4/2024). If Australia can defeat Qatar, then in that situation, Indonesia's and Australia's final points will be equal (four points). However, Indonesia is sure to have a better position because they have a superior record of duels against the Olyroos.
Also read: Sportsmanship and Fighting Power of "Garuda Muda"
Vidmar admitted that his team's chance of advancing from the group stage depends on the result of Indonesia's match. However, he wants his players to focus on preparing to defeat Qatar instead of thinking about Indonesia.
"We have to win against Qatar, but we know we need another result to give us an advantage," he said.
