For the second time, the Indonesia U-19 national football team has triumphed in the Southeast Asia football championship, known as the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship. The final match between Indonesia U-19 and Thailand U-19 occurred at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, East Java, Indonesia, on Monday (29/7). Indonesia secured a 1-0 victory over Thailand thanks to an impressive goal scored by Jens Ravens early in the first half, at the 17th minute.
Jens Ravens' goal originated from a corner kick by Kafiatur Rizky, which was headed by center-back Kadek Arel toward Jens Ravens, who then finished it to score the match's only goal. This goal secured Indonesia's second title in the AFF U-19 Championship.
This victory marks Indonesia's second triumph in the AFF U-19 Championship, with their previous win in 2013 against Vietnam in the final at Gelora Delta Stadium, Sidoarjo, Indonesia. In that dramatic match, Indonesia emerged victorious in a penalty shootout with a final score of 7-6.
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The success of the Indonesia U-19 national team, coached by Indra Sjafri, in winning the 2024 AFF Championship was due to the hard work of the entire team, including players, coaches, and officials. Indonesia played a very organized game, both in attack and defense, making it difficult for Thailand to mount a defense or counterattack.
However, it must be acknowledged that Thailand also gave their best effort to win the AFF Championship. Thailand's journey from the group stage to the semi-finals was impressive, with no losses and only a draw against Malaysia in the group stage.
Despite their efforts, Thailand was unable to overturn the score by the final whistle, and Indonesia's U-19 team, under Coach Indra Sjafri, claimed the championship. This result placed Thailand in the second position, failing to secure their sixth title, having previously won the AFF U-19 Championship five times in 2002, 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2017.
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Australia secured the third position by defeating Malaysia in the third-place playoff. The match between Australia U-19 and Malaysia U-19 was intense, extending to a penalty shootout with a final score of 5-3 in favor of Australia.
In addition to the team's victory, individual awards were also given. The Best Player award went to Indonesia U-19 captain Dony Tri Pamungkas, the Best Goalkeeper award to Indonesia U-19 goalkeeper Ikram Algiffari, and the Top Scorer award to Australia's Jake Najdovski, who scored a total of five goals.
