On the evening of February 13, U20 Indonesia had an unlucky match when they lost 0-3 to U20 Iran in the opening match of Group C of the 2025 U20 Asian Cup finals.
This is a difficult match for coach Indra Sjafri and his team as their opponent is one of the strongest teams in the group and is considered a strong candidate for the championship.
Right from the start of the match, U20 Indonesia faced a big challenge when facing U20 Iran, a team with a strong squad of players from West Asia. After only 5 minutes of play, the Iranian team scored the opening goal thanks to an accurate header from defender hesam Nafari.
During the first half, despite efforts, U20 Indonesia could not create many dangerous opportunities. Their only notable chance came from Toni Firmansyah's long-range shot from over 30m away, but the ball was blocked by the Iranian goalkeeper.
In the second half, U20 Iran continued to show their superiority. After a few missed opportunities, in the 62nd minute, this team doubled the gap with a delicate finish by Esmaeil Gholizadeh. Not stopping there, just 8 minutes later, Mobin Dehghan increased the score to 3-0 with an accurate header, ending the match with a convincing victory for Iran U20.
With this defeat, the chance to pass the group stage for U20 Indonesia will become much more difficult. In the remaining match in the group, U20 Uzbekistan had a minimal 1-0 victory over U20 Yemen.
In the next match after 3 days, U20 Indonesia will face U20 Uzbekistan, while U20 Iran will meet U20 Yemen. If they continue to lose in the second match of the group stage, U20 Indonesia will almost close the door to continue to the knockout round of their tournament this year.
