Sunday, December 22 2024 – 13:09 WIB
Indonesian National Team footballer Rafael William Struick (second left) tries to pass three Philippine National Team footballers Michael Tribaco Kempter (left), Zico Alika Lefroy Locquiao Bailey (second right) and Adrian Cortes Ugelvik (right) during the 2024 ASEAN Cup Group B match at the Stadium Manahan, Solo, Central Java, Saturday (21/12/2024). BETWEEN PHOTOS/Mohammad Ayudha/agr/rwa. (ANTARA FOTO/MOHAMMAD AYUDHA)
jpnn.comJAKARTA – Indonesian national team coach Shin Tae-yong said that Rafael Struick’s performance in the 2024 ASEAN Cup was not optimal because the 21 year old striker was not in perfect physical condition so he did not create either goals or assists.
“Rafael was really tired when he arrived at the national team, so he couldn’t give a good performance,” said the South Korean coach at the post-match press conference.
This condition meant that Rafael only played one match in full out of the Garuda team’s four matches in the ASEAN Cup.
The match was against Laos at Manahan Stadium, Solo, with the final score 3-3.
In the first match against Myanmar, Rafael came on in the second half to replace Alfriyanto Nico because he was not yet physically fit after only arriving in Myanmar one day before the match from Australia.
Rafael then became a substitute in the match against Vietnam. In the match which ended with a score of 0-1, Rafael came on in the 40th minute to replace Rivaldo Pakpahan.
In the last match against the Philippines at Manahan Stadium, Solo, Saturday, Rafael, who is one of the experienced players for the senior national team, only played for 52 minutes before being replaced by Hokky Caraka.
However, Shin is confident that Rafael will find his best performance again in the closest match of the third round of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in March 2025 when he travels to Australia on March 20 and hosts Bahrain on March 25.
Indonesian national team player Rafael Struick is said to be tired so he was not optimal in the ASEAN Cup.
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