Jakarta –
1-1 draw between Vietnam vs Thailand make Indonesia eliminated from the event AFF U-19 Cup 2022. Pelatih The War Elephants, Salvador Valero Garcia stated that his team did not play with the eyes of ejecting Garuda Nusantara from the tournament.
Indonesia silenced Myanmar 5-1 in the last matchday of Group A at Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Sunday (10/7/2022) night. Meanwhile, at the Madya Stadium, Vietnam held Thailand 1-1.
Although Indonesia has the same points as Vietnam and Thailand in the final standings, even winning on goal difference, Shin Tae-yong’s squad had to be eliminated because they lost head-to-head in meetings with Vietnam and Thailand.
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Indonesia previously only played a goalless draw against these two teams. That’s what makes Hokky Caraka et al’s goal productivity throughout the tournament seem meaningless.
The draw with Vietnam vs Thailand also received accusations of ‘flirting’ from many Indonesian fans. The U-19 national team itself also questioned the same thing.
This was due to the passive running of the game after Vietnam equalized in the 76th minute through Khuat Van Khang. Thailand previously took the lead through Kroekphon Abram in the 71st minute.
Both Vietnam and Thailand were judged to be playing it safe in the remaining time, taking advantage of the head-to-head rules in the tournament. However, Garcia still defended the appearance of his foster children after the match, and had no intention of deliberately eliminating Indonesia.
“Today (last night) we showed determination and a good attitude. In the first half we defended well, but couldn’t dominate the game when we had the ball,” Garcia said, quoted by Siamsport.
“But in the second half we changed the system to 4-4-2 to open up the opponent’s defense and it worked. Today we have to appreciate the determination and attitude of this team.”
“Obviously we wanted to beat them. After scoring the goal, Vietnam responded well and were able to score to equalize quickly before we could manage the game.”
“But towards the end of the game, many players were tired because they had put all their energy into it. You have to appreciate the commitment shown on the pitch,” explained Garcia.
(adp/then)
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