Coach Shin Taeyong is betting on his 40-year career in soccer

Team "Shin Tae-yong" Indonesia will play the third-place match of the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup against Iraq at 0:30 a.m. on the 3rd (Korea Standard Time) in Doha, Qatar.

Three-and-a-half tickets are up for grabs at the Paris Olympics. The winner of the final match of the third place finisher will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. If the team loses, it will have to compete with Guinea, which is ranking fourth in the African regional preliminaries, in a single match to seek to advance to the Olympics.

Indonesia, which lost to Uzbekistan in the semifinal match, will challenge for the final ticket. If Indonesia advances to the Olympics, it will make a new history in 68 years since the 1956 Melbourne Games.

The key keyword that will determine Indonesia's ticket to Paris is whether it can boost the sagging atmosphere and restore its physical strength.

Indonesia continued to win the group stage by beating Australia 1-0 and South Korea by 11 SPO10 in the shootout after a 2-2 draw in the quarterfinals, but its momentum was somewhat dampened by a 0-2 loss to Uzbekistan in the semifinals.

He lost confidence because he was unilaterally pushed back from his performance, and his physical strength was inevitably depleted as he faced strong teams every three days.

Indonesian media outlet "Bola" said, "It was difficult to convert offense and defense quickly due to poor physical strength against Australia and South Korea, which led to a complete defeat in the match against Uzbekistan. In the match against Iraq, we need to be able to make Indonesia's own style again."

We also need to fill the gaps in our main players. Rizky Lido, the captain and key defender of the team in the semifinal match against Uzbekistan, has been exited, and will not be able to play in the match against Iraq. Pratama Arhan, who scored an own goal, is also urgently needed to recover.

Despite unfavorable factors, the team still has strong motivation. Indonesia, which already achieved a legendary success by reaching the semifinals at the U23 Asian Cup, is now committed to making it to the Olympics finals.

"All the players want to write a new history. I will do my best to repay Shin," said goalkeeper Hernando Ari, who blocked Korean kickers from shooting in succession in the quarterfinal match.

Indonesian fans will use large electronic boards to cheer on the streets in major cities such as Jakarta to convey their strength in the athletes' Olympic challenge.

Coach Shin, who is receiving active support from the team and fans, expressed his extraordinary will, saying, "I have bet my 40 years of soccer on this challenge."

"Players are taking a good rest because they are physically challenged," Shin said. "Recovering their physical strength and mind is the most important thing. I am focusing all my attention on that part."

"Indonesia is a very strong and fast team," said key Iraqi striker Muntader Mohamed. "But we are the ones who prepared better for the Olympics. As long as we don't make mistakes, we can beat Indonesia and go to Paris."

BY: 토토