AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023/ Indonesia Seeks to Get Past Group Stage

Kuala Lumpur, January 02 (QNA) - In its fifth appearance in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, which will be held from January 12 until February 10, the Indonesian national team is looking forward to progress past the group stage to the knockout rounds. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today highlighted Indonesia's participation in the tournament, playing in Group D, alongside Japan, Iraq and Vietnam. Indonesia played 12 matches in the Asian Cup, winning 2 and drawing 2, losing 8, scoring 8 goals, and conceding 10 goals. During its previous four participations in the continental finals, the Indonesian team exited the competition in the first round, but in the edition that the country hosted with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in 2007, it succeeded in achieving its second victory in the history of its participation in the Asian Cup. In that edition, the Indonesian team started its campaign in an ideal way, after winning the Bahraini team (2-1), but lost in the same way to Saudi Arabia, then left the competition with a loss to South Korea, postponing the dreams of qualifying for the elimination rounds, which is what the team hopes for in its fifth participation in the championship. It is managed by South Korean coach Shin Tae-young, who has been at the helm of the coaching staff for four years, and has a major challenge of getting past the group stage at the very least, and these are legitimate ambitions. The 53-year-old has a long coaching career with the Indonesian national football team, having managed the under-20 and under-23 national teams. He previously led the Korean team Seongnam to win the 2010 AFC Champions League. The Indonesian squad list features many players that could make the difference in the tournament, including right-back Asnawi Mangkualam, who possesses outstanding characteristics such as physical strength and speed. (QNA)