JAKARTA: On Monday, April 29, Indonesia was eliminated after losing to Uzbekistan 2-0 in the semi-final of the under-23 Asian Cup. This means that the nation will have to wait for the second time in its history to qualify for the Olympic men’s football competition.
If the Red and Whites defeat Iraq in a playoff game for third place later this week, they can still go to the Games in Paris.
If they lose and place fourth, they must defeat Guinea in an Asian-African playoff game.
In the capital of Qatar, Doha, their Central Asian adversaries broke hearts in Indonesia when Khusayin Norchaev, in the 68th minute, tucked in a cross between two defenders, and Pratama Arhan, in the 86th, scored an own goal.
After Rizky Ridho was sent off for a high tackle deemed violent conduct, Indonesia was reduced to 10 men, setting up the second goal.
Had Indonesia prevailed, it would have been their first time participating in an Olympic football tournament in almost 70 years since the Soviet Union disqualified them from the 1956 Melbourne Games.
The U23 Asian Cup is the Asian Football Confederation’s qualification tournament for the Olympics, where football is played by mostly under-23 squads with three exceptions for older players allowed in each team.
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