So nah, so fern…
It was so close, but so far away at the same time…
A tense atmosphere enveloped every corner of the Gelora Delta Stadium in Sidoarjo. The tension continued to escalate with every second that passed during the match played on the field that night between the Indonesian U23 national team and the South Korean U23 team.
The situation became increasingly tense when South Korea managed to score in the 6th minute with a powerful shot from Hwang Do-yoon inside the penalty area. In fact, I think the increasingly boiling tension spilt out from the stadium walls, passed through the electrical circuits of Emtek’s broadcast cameras, and finally reached the eyes of those watching the U23 national team’s do-or-die match to determine their qualification status for the 2026 U23 Asian Cup.
When the first half ended, an anomaly occurred. The atmosphere of tension sank like the setting sun on the western horizon. Even though at that time, the U23 national team was trailing 0–1 against South Korea.
As the second half began, a sense of unease arose. The spectators in the stadium, who had barely offered any cheers of support to the players on the field throughout the first half, began to shout. Their shouts could even be heard during the live broadcast. All kinds of shouts could be heard, from telling players to chase and win the ball, telling fallen players to get back up, encouraging players who were pressing, to scolding players who were delaying counterattacks or passing the ball back to goalkeeper Cahya Supriyadi.
The cheers of the crowd were met with increasing intensity from the players of Gerald Vanenburg’s team. Hokky Caraka and Jens Raven repeatedly led their teammates in pressing the South Korean players in their defensive area. The wing and centre players are attempting various attacking schemes to break through South Korea’s defence. The defenders repeatedly sprinted back to the Indonesian national team’s defensive area to prevent South Korea’s quick attacks. Cahya Supriyadi battled to make several acrobatic and brilliant saves to keep the goal difference at 1.
Time and again, the national team came so close to scoring, at least to equalise first. However, time and again, that goal seemed so far out of reach for the Indonesian U23 national team, whether due to poor finishing or the South Korean U23 defence being quick to block attacks.
Finally, the referee blew the long whistle to signal the end of the match. The score 0–1 adorned the scoreboard at Gelora Delta Sidoarjo. Not once did the South Korean goalposts shake that night. There was no euphoria. There was no relief.
Now, a changing emptiness envelops the stadium. The players stood on the field in disbelief. The U23 national team coaches put on a stoic face, either offering a bitter smile or remaining expressionless, as they shook hands and congratulated the South Korean coaching staff. Only the smiles and happy shouts of the South Korean U23 players and coaching staff occasionally lifted the veil of emptiness.
Get Muhammad Alfian Sofakhairi’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
With this result, South Korea U23 has secured a spot in the main round of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia next January. From Group J of this qualifying round, not a single country accompanied South Korea to Saudi Arabia, including the hosts, Indonesia U23.
Relief
Initially, I wanted to say that watching the U23 national team play in this match felt so suffocating. However, after a little contemplation, it seems I’ve felt this tightness in my chest throughout this qualifying round. Since the Indonesian U23 national team was held to a draw by Laos in the opening match, that feeling has only grown stronger. The national team’s resounding victory over Macau didn’t ease the tightness in my chest even once.
Perhaps that’s why I felt relieved when I turned off the television after the final whistle of this match. Relieved because the U23 national team players no longer need to play aggressively. Relieved because they no longer had to hobble after the ball, using every last breath to do something I was already 80% sure wouldn’t contribute to winning the match. Relieved because they no longer had to delude themselves into thinking they were comfortable in possession. Relieved because they didn’t have to be wounded elephants still trying to protect their young from predators. I’m relieved this qualifying round is over because the players can now take a deep breath, sit down on the field with their heads bowed, and think about the steps they’ve taken and will take after this.
Self-Inflicted
It’s bitter, indeed. I also have absolutely no desire to write these negative and cynical paragraphs. However, we cannot take refuge from the sweet words, “They fought as best they could.”
Both the players, the coaching staff, and we, the Indonesian people, are well aware that the heavy burden they carried on September 9th could be drastically reduced if they managed to score in that opening match. We are all well aware that they could still lighten that burden a bit if they could score more than 5 goals against Macau in the second match. We all know very well that they didn’t need to go through such a difficult hiking trail.
It is a delusion to ignore the fact that the ‘injury’ suffered by this Indonesia U23 national team is self-inflicted by the team themselves. I just want us to acknowledge that.
Future
I don’t want us to get bogged down in a debate about who’s wrong. I also don’t want us all to dive into the pool of rumours and speculation regarding Vanenburg’s future. The ship has already sailed. The previous recognition has sufficiently quenched the thirst caused by the U23 national team’s failure to compete in the 2026 U23 Asian Cup.
One thing we can all do is look to the future with evaluation in mind. This is the moment when we must dive into the pool of conversation and debate. This is the moment when we must drive positive change in the development of young players in this country, from player experience to youth competitions.
The ball is now rolling into the hands of PSSI. Only we, the Indonesian people, can pressure the federation to do something. When they are silent, achievement feels so close again, yet so far out of reach.
