Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: Tournament revelation Witan Sulaeman hailed Indonesia's collective spirit, after his decisive goal against United Arab Emirates ended a 40-year AFC U-19 Championship quarter-final drought on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old pounced on a heavy touch by Emirati stopper Yousef Ali to slam home his third goal in as many matches but despite his key role in the 1-0 victory, Witan said every member of the team had played their part.
"I'm happy that we are through to the last eight, but it can only happen because of the combined effort and the hard work from everyone in the team," he said after being named Player of the Match.
"I would also like to give my biggest appreciation to the fans who have always been there for us, and this is certainly for them as well."
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bogor: Malaysia won't stop believing, despite the improbable turnaround they require to advance to the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 quarter-finals, according to head coach Bojan Hodak.
With a single point from their first two matches, the Hairmau Muda must beat China PR at Pakansari Stadium and hope Tajikistan simultaneously suffer defeat to Saudi Arabia to keep their knockout stage chances alive, but hope springs eternal for Hodak.
"I always believe," he said. "I believe we can be champions. In football anything is possible. The ball is round.
"If we want to go through, we need to win and we need the result. Saudi Arabia need to win to be on the top of the table, maybe one point is good enough for them also, but Tajikistan want to win to get an easier opponents in the second round. This doesn't depend on us."
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bogor: Qatar progressed into the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 quarter-finals on Wednesday as a hard-fought 4-0 win over a resilient Chinese Taipei helped them finish top of a tight Group A that saw three teams finish tied on six points.
A flurry of second half goals ensured the nervy victory for Qatar who had gone into the game knowing that only a win would have guaranteed them a ticket through to the last eight.
In the end, Qatar assumed pole position by the narrowest of margins after scoring more goals than either second-placed Indonesia or the United Arab Emirates in the games between the trio.
The 2014 title winners will now meet the yet to be decided runners-up in Group B, with Sunday’s encounter sure to be a titanic tussle given that both a spot in the semi-finals and a berth at next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup will be up for grabs.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jakarta: 10-man Indonesia sensationally qualified for the AFC U-19 Championship quarter-finals for the first time in 40 years, beating United Arab Emirates 1-0 to eliminate the visitors at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
A 23rd-minute goal from Witan Sulaeman gave the hosts the lead, but they had to dig deep to hold out after captain Nurhidayat Haji Haris was sent off early in the second half.
Qatar's 4-0 win over Chinese Taipei in Bogor means the United Arab Emirates are out of the competition, suffering the cruellest of eliminations to be edged out on goals scored in matches between the three Group A sides tied on six points.