Dream - The Indonesian U-23 National Football Team (Timnas) failed to advance to the final round of the U-23 Asian Cup after being defeated by Uzbekistan in the semifinals. Despite the failure, the Chairman of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), Erick Thohir, expressed satisfaction with the achievements of the U-23 national team in the competition. Erick witnessed the Young Garuda squad fight hard to qualify for the final in the match that took place on Monday, April 24, 2024, at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar. However, the team had to admit the superiority of the Uzbekistan team.

Erick also appreciates the coach, players, and officials for bringing honor to Indonesia as debutants who made it to the semifinals. He also asks the national team players not to lose their spirit because the ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics is still open. According to Erick, the national team must show mental strength again in the third-place match at the U-23 Asian Cup. This match will secure an automatic ticket for the Indonesian National Football Team to compete in the Olympics.

Indonesia faces a different resistance when facing Uzbekistan. The 2018 champion and four-time semifinalist have been pressing Indonesia since the beginning of the match. However, the strength of Rizki Ridho and his colleagues' defense made the first half end with a score of 0-0. Even Indonesia managed to score a goal in the 61st minute through Muhammad Ferrari. However, the referee disallowed it after reviewing the video assistant referee (VAR) footage, as there was an Indonesian player offside.

One minute later, Indonesia had to accept an increased defeat score of 0-2, from Pratama Arhan's own goal. In that match, the leadership of referee Shen Yinhao and VAR referee Sivakorn Pu-udom received criticism from many parties. Several decisions were considered very detrimental to Indonesia, especially when giving a red card to Rizky Ridho.