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Shin Tae-yong hopes for dramatic round of 16
Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong hopes for a dramatic round of 16 exit.
Indonesia lost 1-3 against Japan in their third Group D match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 at the Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
At the same time, elsewhere in Group D, Iraq earned a 3-2 win over Vietnam.
The final Group D standings are Iraq (9 points), Japan (6 points), Indonesia (3 points), and Vietnam (0 points). Iraq and Japan advanced to the round of 16.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Shin said, "Congratulations to the Japanese team. I have to admit that Japan was a good team. I approve of the game, but I have a complaint about the referee. I want to applaud our players for trying their best," said Shin, summarizing the game.
"Japan has a good offensive and defensive balance. From the forward area, they had good counterattacks and pressing, which made it difficult for our players to get out." "Our offensive line did not stand out. We have young players who are still inexperienced, so the process of winning the ball and getting it out of the box needs time. It's something we need to work on."
Indonesia finished the group stage in third place with three points, but they are not out of the Asian Cup.
They could dramatically advance to the Round of 16 depending on the results of their final matches against Bahrain and Oman, who are currently third in the group. Bahrain and Oman will face Jordan on Friday and Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, respectively.
On the possibility of a dramatic round of 16, Shin said, "There's nothing I can do about that. "We usually do recovery training after the game, but I think we'll have to take a day off tomorrow and see what happens," he said.
"Tomorrow's match (which could decide the round of 16), we're going to watch it in our own comfort zone. It's important for the players to relax and not be stressed."
Reflecting on the three group 안전놀이터 games, Shin said, "I like the games we won the most," adding that the victory over Vietnam was his favorite moment of the tournament.
"It was also an experience for me. As a coach, I was able to lead a team with a weak FIFA ranking to the biggest tournament in Asia and play the way the players want to play," he said, adding, "Indonesian football is the weakest in the FIFA rankings, but when we faced our opponents, we improved. I saw hope."