Indonesia reaches the final of the Asian U-17 Cup – Asia & Pacific

The 0-0 result means both teams reach the final in Saudi Arabia next April, with Indonesia and Australia on seven points each with two wins and one draw.

However, Indonesia coach Nova Arianto expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s performance against Australia.

“As for the result of the match (against Australia), to be honest, as a coach, I feel bad about our performance. But once again, this is something we must accept and move forward,” Nova said in a statement from the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

“I heard at half-time that a draw would be enough for us to progress, so we took a (suitable) tactical approach. We focused on defending our zone and looked to counter-attack when we got the ball back,” he said.

Nova noted that the Australian team also showed little motivation to break into Indonesia’s half, resulting in the match being uneventful after 60 minutes.

“Australia, when they had the ball, didn’t seem to want to attack us,” he said.

“It turned into a game that, to be honest, I didn’t particularly enjoy. But still, I’m grateful that we were able to qualify.”

Australia secured top spot in the group thanks to superior goal difference against Indonesia in their previous two matches.

The Joeys won 19–0 against the Northern Mariana Islands and 3–1 against Kuwait, while the Young Garudas won 10–0 against the Northern Mariana Islands and 1–0 against Kuwait, resulting in a goal difference of 21 for Australia and 11 for Indonesia.

As Group G leaders, Australia are guaranteed a place in the Asian Under-17 Cup finals, as are the winners of all 10 groups in the Asian Under-17 Cup qualifiers.

Indonesia followed suit after being among the top runners-up in the qualifiers held from October 19 to 27. The Young Garudas finished third among the top five runners-up, who automatically advance to next year’s finals.