REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir praised the struggle of the Indonesia U-20 national team that managed to subdue the top-ranked team of FIFA Argentina U-20 by 2-1 in the opening match of the mini-tournament titled Seoul Earth On Us Cup 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday (28/8/2024).

“This is a historic victory. I, who watched the game, saw the incredible struggle of our players. Moreover, they scored a victory with a comeback after first falling behind. Truly a salute. Although it can beat Argentina, a team whose ranking is far above us. Remember not to be arrogant or arrogant,” said Erick Thohir in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Not only appreciating the phenomenal win, Erick also flattered the fearless play of coach Indra Sjafri's foster son against a team as strong as Argentina. “Our defense is solid as well. Several times mixed, but it can come out of pressure. Hopefully this will be a capital in good mental terms since remember, their journey is still a long one,” he continued.

Yes, throughout the first 45 minutes, Indonesia actually excelled in terms of possession of the ball with a percentage of 65 percent versus 35 percent. Only, the tightness of the Argentine defensive line made it difficult for Dony Tri Pamungkas et al to penetrate the defense of the Young Tango Team. It was noted that the Indonesian U-20 player was not given the opportunity to release a kick towards the Argentine goal.

Instead, Argentina, who played a pattern of rapid counter-attacking patterns, managed to capitalise on a golden opportunity to score goals. That goal process happened on 17 minutes.

Starting from a corner kick, the ball was then able to be played by an Indonesian player. But Rodrigo Ezequiel Stocco, who was in a free position fired a hard kick from outside the box. Rodrigo's kick was then passed to Mirko Juarez with a header that deceived goalkeeper Ikram Algiffari.

In the 75th minute, Indonesia U-20 was able to score against Argentina. The goal process started from Mouri Ananda's free kick, which Kadek Arel Priyatna managed to grab. Ananda's penalty kick in the 82nd minute gave Indonesia the lead, 2-1, and the score held until the final whistle sounded.

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