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REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- PSSI General Chairman Erick Thohir appreciated the struggle of Garuda Muda team that competed in the U-17 Asian Cup. In the opening match of Group C insertion which took place at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Friday (4/4/2025) evening, the U-17 team defeated the top team of South Korea (South Korea) with a score of 1-0.
“Thank God. The incredible struggle has been shown by Garuda Muda which we build together through coaching young players. The three points in the opening match are to be thankful because it's the result of the team's hard work. I really appreciate and hope they get more excited in the upcoming games,” Erick said in Jakarta, Saturday (4/3/2025).
Erick added that the important victory in pursuit of the goal of qualifying for the U-17 World Cup was proof of the hard work of the whole team, not the individuals.
According to Erick, this victory is also a testament to the coaching of junior players carried out by the clubs of the Liga 1, whose development is monitored by the PSSI through competitions in the EPA (Elite Pro Academy), Soeratin Cup, and Leagues 3 and 4. Practically, the majority of the U17 team coached by Nova Arianto is currently a new generation that the PSSI continues to build through the preparation of a more mature youth team.
“PSSI continues to be committed to maintaining the national program from junior to senior age, including the women's team. If we observe that the current U17 national team players are a new generation after we at PSSI did a more programmed preparation of the youth team. In principle, there will be no result if it is not for hard work,” he stressed.
In the match against South Korea U-17, the lone goal of Indonesia's victory was scored by Evandra Florasta in the 90+1 minute. He took advantage of the rebound from the goalkeeper Park Dohun who read well the direction of his penalty execution. This one goal was enough to paralyze South Korea, who dominated the match, but could not break the Indonesian defense.
Indonesia, which now tops the provisional Group C standings with three points, will play the second match against Yemen at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium on Monday (7/3/2025) at 22.00 pm, while South Korea will play Afghanistan at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on Tuesday (8/4/2025) at 00:15pm.
In the U-17 Asian Cup, the two teams that qualify for the knockout stage from the group stage will immediately get tickets to the U-17 World Cup, which is also held this year in Qatar.
