Towards a New History for the U-17 National Team of Indonesia |
The Indonesian U-17 National Team will face North Korea in the quarter-finals of the U-17 Asian Cup, Monday, April 14, 2025 at 21.00 WIB at the King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Indonesian people have high hopes for this decisive match. Even though they have already secured tickets to the U-17 World Cup in Qatar, the national team supporters still hope that I Putu Panji Apriawan et al can achieve their best.
Qualifying for the U-17 World Cup through the qualification route and successfully earning full points has actually become history for Indonesia. However, the Indonesian people are waiting for a new history, qualifying for the semifinals and even reaching the finals, although it must be admitted that it is difficult.
Difficult does not mean impossible. Football is a sport full of surprises as seen in many matches. As long as the long whistle has not sounded, various miracles are still waiting. That is what the Young Garuda must prove. There is always a chance to turn things around even at the last second.
In the last match that did not determine Indonesia's fate and coach Nova Arianto fielded reserve players, Indonesia had difficulty breaking through Afghanistan's goal. Indonesia even almost conceded. However, at the end of the second half, after fighting relentlessly, Fadly Alberto Hengga and Zahaby Gholy were able to score goals.
There are several statistics and advantages of the Indonesian U-17 National Team compared to North Korea. First, a longer rest period of one day. Moreover, in the last match North Korea played a tiring match when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Oman. Meanwhile, Indonesia had to field reserve players so that the core players could rest longer. They were still fielded in the final minutes and that was important to maintain fitness.
Indonesia was also sharper than North Korea. Gholy et al scored 7 goals and only conceded one, which was from a penalty kick when facing Yemen. Meanwhile, North Korea scored 6 goals and conceded 3 goals.
Until the 90th minute, North Korea was still in the position of Group D champion because they had won against Oman. However, near injury time, Oman was able to equalize so that North Korea had to face Indonesia as the winner of Group C.
In the preliminary round, North Korea became runner-up with 5 points from one win and two draws. Compare that to Indonesia which achieved a perfect result of 9 points after achieving three consecutive wins. This is the capital of Garuda Muda's confidence to defeat North Korea in the quarter-finals.
However, the results in the quarter-finals could provide a surprise. This is a gamble for the Indonesian U-17 National Team to maintain the momentum of victory as well as a measure of Indonesia's strength in the U-17 World Cup in Qatar, 3-27 November 2025.
The new history of qualifying for the semifinals is entertainment for all Indonesian people who are currently suffering from sadness due to economic pressure and other social problems.[]
