Despite losing against Uzbekistan, the struggle of the Indonesian national team at the U-23 Asian Cup deserves to be appreciated. In the quarterfinal round, Indonesia defeated the South Korean team at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium last Thursday (25/4). This historic victory is because it was the first time the Garuda Muda team has excelled over South Korea in the U-23 age group.
Of course, this victory aroused the spirit of the national team and the people of Indonesia. Almost all elements of Indonesian society celebrated the euphoria of their national team's win over South Korea. This victory is encouraging because Indonesia can advance to the U-23 Asian Cup Final and qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
Indonesians enjoyed the semi-final match between the Indonesian national team and Uzbekistan on Monday night (29/4) by organizing "nobar", or joint viewing in various places and praying for the Indonesian national team to qualify for the U-23 Asian Cup final.
Football has indeed played an important role in national awakening and strengthening unity. Besides being a popular sport in Indonesia, football has also become a platform to unite people from different backgrounds and regions in Indonesia. The achievements and struggles of the national team in the U-23 Asian Cup also stirred the spirit of nationalism and pride in the Indonesian people.
The Indonesian national team lost and could not attend the U-23 Asian Cup Final. However, the spirit to rise, especially the rise of Indonesian football, must stay strong. This failure is not the end. Instead, this must be used as momentum for the awakening of Indonesian football to achieve better achievements in the future.