" I think we should be proud. The team only has 16 players, not counting the 2 goalkeepers. Of which, 11 people usually play as substitutes for the remaining 5 players. So the rotation of the squad is very limited. This is not our strongest squad. I appreciate the players who fought to the point of exhaustion, " said Mr. Erick Thohir - President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) after the final match.

The U23 Indonesia team lost to U23 Vietnam in the penalty shootout with a score of 5-6. Before that, the two teams had gone through 120 tense and physically exhausting minutes.

Indonesia U23 entered the final with a total of 18 players. Coach Shin Tae-yong did not have many options when the pillars were injured one after another. The Korean coach even had to leave No. 1 striker Santana on the bench because he was not physically fit to play.

At the post-match press conference, coach Hoang Anh Tuan also said that he understood this issue to come up with a suitable plan. He said: " We are determined not to be subjective, but time belongs to U23 Vietnam. Before that, I knew that the physical condition and fitness of U23 Indonesia after the semi-final match with U23 Thailand had decreased a lot. Looking at the list of players, they have 7 reserve players, including 2 goalkeepers. Thus, they still have 5 options. Meanwhile, the physical condition of some of the main players is not good ."

Although U23 Indonesia accepted defeat, Mr. Thohir was optimistic: " I thank the fans for continuing to support the team. The whole team tried their best in both regular time and penalty shootout, which was extraordinary. I apologize to the people for not winning, but we should appreciate the efforts of the young players."

PSSI President said the team will immediately start preparing for the 2024 U23 Asian qualifiers and the 19th Asian Games. Coach Shin Tae-yong confirmed that U23 Indonesia will resume training from September 4.

Van Hai