Jakarta. Indonesia’s U-20 team secured their place in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup finals in China after finishing at the top of Group F, following a 1-1 draw against Yemen at Madya Stadium in Jakarta on Sunday evening.

Both teams ended the group stage with two wins and a draw, but Indonesia advanced due to a superior goal difference.

The hosts took the lead in first-half stoppage time with a goal from naturalized player Jens Raven. However, the goal sparked controversy as several Yemeni officials protested, claiming an Indonesian player was offside before delivering the assist to Raven. 

The heated dispute resulted in a red card for Yemen’s assistant coach, shown by referee Mammedov Resul from Turkmenistan.

Despite the commotion, Yemen responded swiftly, leveling the match just before halftime through Abdulrahman Al-Khadher Abdulnabi, who caught Indonesian goalkeeper Ikram Algiffari off guard with a well-placed shot.

In an earlier Group F match at the same stadium, Timor-Leste recorded their first-ever tournament win with a 4-1 victory over the Maldives.

The AFC U-20 Asian Cup finals will take place from February 6-23 next year in China.

Indonesia Starting XI:
Ikram Algiffari, Muhammad Alfharezzi Buffon, Kadek Arel Priyatna, M. Iqbal Gwijangge, Dony Tri Pamungkas, Mufli Hidayat, Toni Firmansyah, Figo Dennis Saputrananto, Aditya Warman, Muhamad Ragil, Jens Raven.

Yemen Starting XI:
Wadhah Anwar Ahmed, Mohammed Naji Al Qashmi, Haithm Faisal Al Salami, Saeed Abdullah Al Shaban, Ahmed Mustafa Al Hajj, Anwar Hussein Al Turaiqi, Mohammed Khaled Moqbel, Adel Abbas Qasem, Abdullah Khaled Haidan, Abdulaziz Awadh Masnom, Abdulrahman Al Khadher Abdulnabi.