Jakarta. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo commended the Indonesian U-23 National Team for their achievement in reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar, despite being debutants.

Expressing his appreciation via his Instagram account @jokowi, in response to Iraq's victory on Thursday, Jokowi wrote, "The Indonesian U-23 National Football Team has to accept defeat after losing 1-2 to Iraq in their match at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup. As debutants, their achievement in reaching the semi-finals deserves appreciation."

On Friday, Jokowi urged the Young Garuda Squad to remain spirited in their quest to secure a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics against Guinea in the upcoming playoff match.

Indonesia's hopes of automatic qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics were dashed after a 1-2 defeat to Iraq in the third-place playoff match of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday.

As a result of this defeat, the Young Garudas will now have to face Guinea, the fourth-place team from the 2023 Africa U-23 Cup, in a playoff match scheduled for May 9th in Paris, France.

Meanwhile, Iraq, finishing third in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup behind Japan and Uzbekistan, has secured their place in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Shin Tae-yong, the coach of the Indonesian U-23 National Team, praised the performance of Justin Hubner and his teammates throughout the tournament held in Qatar.

Despite making their debut in the tournament, Marselino and his teammates managed to reach the semi-finals and finished in fourth place.

"Since the beginning of the tournament, perhaps many thought Indonesia's performance was very dramatic. I feel this team deserves praise for the results they have achieved," Shin said in a post-match press conference.

The Young Garudas made history by reaching the semi-finals, defeating strong teams such as Australia and Jordan in the group stage, and South Korea in the quarter-finals. However, they eventually lost to Uzbekistan and then to Iraq in the third-place playoff, which also dashed Indonesia's chances of securing an Olympic spot earlier.

In the match against Iraq, Indonesia took the lead through a goal by Ivar Jenner in the 19th minute. However, Iraq equalized through Zaid Tahseen Hantoosh's goal in the 27th minute.

Iraq secured victory with Ali Jasim's goal in extra time, resulting in a final score of 2-1.

"Congratulations to Iraq for qualifying for the Olympics. This match showed the fierce struggle of both teams to secure the third-place position and an Olympic berth. Both teams played very well, and I am very grateful to the Indonesian team for their hard fight in this match," Shin expressed.

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