U19 Indonesia coach speaks out after shock elimination on home soil

Nova Arianto attributed the elimination of U19 Indonesia from the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship to a lack of focus at a decisive point.

The dream of defending the championship for U19 Indonesia officially came to an end after a bitter defeat against U19 Australia in the semifinals of the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship. Playing at home in North Sumatra on the evening of June 11, the Indonesian team came very close to forcing a tense penalty shootout before conceding a heartbreaking goal in the final minutes of stoppage time.

Supported by tens of thousands of home fans, U19 Indonesia started with high determination and managed to maintain a balanced game against their more accomplished regional rival. Although they did not create many clear chances, Nova Arianto’s squad stayed solid for most of the match. As the clock ticked toward the final minutes, many believed the game would go to a penalty shootout to decide who would advance to the final.

However, the turning point came in the 90+2 minute. From an Australian attack, Marcus Edward Neil put the ball into the Indonesian net. Initially, the assistant referee raised his flag for offside, but after reviewing VAR, head referee Bainazarov Alimardon overturned the decision and awarded the goal. This late strike gave U19 Australia a 1-0 victory and turned Indonesia into the former champions of the tournament.

After the match, Coach Nova Arianto expressed regret but still praised his players. He shared: "First of all, I want to thank the players for their maximum effort, but that's football." The young coach believed his team did not play poorly, but just one moment of lapsed concentration was enough to make them pay at the highest level.

Analyzing the reasons for the defeat, Coach Nova Arianto emphasized: "This is football at a higher level, on the international stage. We cannot afford to lose focus even for a moment. Just one slight lapse, and we will concede a goal, and the opponent will punish us." According to the Indonesian tactician, this is a valuable lesson for young players in their development as they aim for bigger goals in the future.

He also affirmed that this defeat will become an important experience ahead of the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers. "This is a good lesson for the players because we are about to prepare for the qualifiers of the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup. We hope the players can learn more from this match," Nova Arianto said. While Indonesia sadly exited at the semifinals, U19 Australia will face U19 Thailand in the final on June 13 to compete for the regional title.