Indonesian coach Indra Sjafri, who led Indonesia to victory in the men's football event at the 32nd SEA Games, prefers facing Thailand over Vietnam.
Indonesian coach Indra Sjafri (second from the right) and his colleagues celebrate Indonesia's victory at the 32nd SEA Games. Photo: Hieu Luong
At the recently concluded SEA Games in Cambodia, Indonesia successively defeated Vietnam in the semi-finals and Thailand 5-2 in the 120-minute final, on their way to winning the gold medal. This was Indonesia's first title since the SEA Games men's football tournament was limited to players under 23 years old.
In an interview with Bola Sport , coach Sjafri commented: "Actually, I prefer playing against Thailand to Vietnam. I beat Thailand at the SEA Games 30 and the 2019 Southeast Asian U22 Championship."
The Indonesian coach also stated that Vietnam is more difficult to play against than any other opponent in Southeast Asia. He added: "Vietnam has a strong team spirit, knows how to provoke, and possesses a high fighting spirit."
Agreeing with her coach, defender Alfeandra Dewangga said: "Vietnam is the toughest opponent at SEA Games 32. We know them well. They are a strong and united team."
In the 30th and 31st SEA Games, Vietnam won all three matches against Indonesia, including two 3-0 victories (one of which was the final at the 2019 Games in the Philippines). However, in their rematch at the 32nd SEA Games, they successfully avenged that defeat. They twice took the lead thanks to powerful throw-ins from Pratama Arhan. On both occasions, Vietnam equalized. Playing with 10 men against 11 after Arhan received a red card, Indonesia unexpectedly scored the winning goal in the seventh minute of added time.
Indonesian football expert Effendi Gazali said that Vietnam under new coach Philippe Troussier doesn't use the provocative style of the Park Hang-seo era, but remnants of it still remain. "Mr. Troussier doesn't point his finger at Indra Sjari like Mr. Park did," Gazali stated.
Following their success at the recent SEA Games, Coach Sjafri was given full authority to manage the U23 team by the President of the Indonesian Football Federation, Erick Thohir, allowing Coach Shin Tae-yong to focus on the national team. The U23 Indonesian team's upcoming tournaments include the 19th Asian Games and the 2024 U23 Asian Championship qualifiers.
Mid-Autumn Festival
Source link
Comment (0)