Wow! Rafael Struick Absent from Defending Indonesia in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup Semifinals

DOHA – Attacker U-23 Indonesian National Team , Rafael Struick is certain to be absent from defending his team when they compete in the semifinals of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. Rafael was absent from the match due to accumulated yellow cards.

As is known, the Indonesian U-23 National Team successfully penetrated the semifinals of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. The team made by Shin Tae-yong managed to beat South Korea U-23 via a penalty shootout with a score of 2-2 (11-10) in Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar on Friday (26/4/2024) early morning WIB.

In that match, Rafael managed to score two goals in the 15th minute and 45+3. The Ado Den Haag player also successfully completed his duties well when he was entrusted with being the penalty taker for Garuda Muda.

However, Rafael received a yellow card in that match. He fouled South Korea U-23 player Eom Ji-sung in the 20th minute. The yellow card made him miss the semifinal match.

Because, this is the second time Rafael has received a yellow card in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. Previously, the 21 year old player also received a yellow card when the Indonesian U-23 National Team destroyed Jordan U-23 4-1 in the group phase.

According to tournament regulations, there is no whitening of cards obtained from the group phase in the knockout rounds. This means that Rafael will certainly be absent from the Indonesian U-23 National Team match in the upcoming semifinals.

With this suspension, Rafael’s role will most likely be replaced by Ramadhan Sananta. It is hoped that the Persis Solo player can perform well in the upcoming match.

Meanwhile, this result makes South Korea U-23 officially eliminated from the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. Meanwhile, the Indonesian U-23 National Team has the right to advance to the top four and will face the winner of the Uzbekistan U-23 versus Saudi Arabia U-23 match.

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