TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo stated that he is amazed by the Indonesian national team that managed to play well against the Argentina national team in the FIFA Matchday match at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium on Monday night, June 19. Under South Korean coach Shin Tae Yong, the Garuda squad lost 0 - 2 to Argentina.

“I think our players show extraordinary hard work. We have to know that Argentina is in the first place [in the world], while what rank are we at? 149. But we can keep up, even though we lose two goals, I see that we can keep up,” the President said after the match on Monday.

According to him, the friendly match against Argentina will be a valuable experience for Indonesia. He hoped that the Indonesian national team will again compete against clubs or countries at higher rankings.

“Like the previous match against Palestine that is ranked 93rd, and we are able to hold off 0-0. Then this [match against] Argentina that is once again in the first place, while we are ranked 149th and we still only conceded two goals,” the state head remarked.

In last night's match, Jokowi accompanied by First Lady Iriana and his eldest grandson, Jan Ethes, watched the match along with the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) Chairperson Erick Thohir and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto. Once the match ended, he approached the players to congratulate them.

Indonesia lost 0-2 to Argentina after Leandro Paredes scored a long-range goal in the first half and Cristian Romero added the second soon after the break. The match closed the series of Indonesia’s FIFA Matchday schedules in June. Last Wednesday, June 14, Indonesia vs Palestine match at the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya, ended in a draw with a score of 0-0.

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH

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