Indonesia's U-23 national team rose to the occasion with a stunning victory over Australia in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, opening up the possibility of reaching the quarterfinals after an earlier defeat. The positive reaction after the loss to Qatar was evident in the outstanding performance of Rizky Ridho and his teammates against Australia. The match was played at the Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha and ended dramatically with Komang Teguh's first-half goal securing a 1-0 victory.
The Garuda squad currently occupies second place in the preliminary Group A standings with three points, trailing Qatar who has six points after two wins over Indonesia and Jordan.
Jordan, on the other hand, is in third place while Australia is at the bottom of the standings with one point apiece. Meanwhile, Qatar have already secured their place in the quarter-finals of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup after beating Indonesia and Jordan.
In the final match of Group A, Indonesia will face Jordan while Qatar will take on Australia. Both matches will be played on Sunday, April 21, 2024, with kick-off at 22:30 IST. The matches will be played simultaneously at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium and the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.
There are two scenarios for the Indonesian U-23 national team to reach the quarterfinals:
A win for Indonesia would be enough for second place in the group. With an additional three points, the Indonesian U-23 team, coached by Shin Tae Yong, will have a total of six points. With six points in hand, Indonesia's second-place position will remain unchallenged regardless of the results of the Qatar and Australia matches. Victory over Jordan will guarantee the Indonesian U-23 team a place in the quarterfinals of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
If the match ends in a draw, the Indonesian U-23 team will collect four points, enough to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
However, if Australia manages to beat Qatar in the other match, Australia will have the same number of points as Indonesia. However, Indonesia will still qualify because the regulations for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup determine the group order based on head-to-head results. Indonesia has a head-to-head advantage over Australia due to their win on Thursday (April 18).
On the other hand, Indonesia's chances of advancing to the knockout stage remain open if they lose to Jordan. However, Australia must lose or at least draw against Qatar for Indonesia to advance to the next stage.
According to the regulations of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which prioritizes head-to-head results to determine the ranking of teams with equal points, Garuda squad must at least draw against Jordan. This is necessary to secure a ticket to the knockout stage of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
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