Indonesian U-23 national team player Arkhan Fikri admitted that he forced himself to play in the final match of the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship against the Vietnamese U-23 national team at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium.
The Arema FC player admitted that his knee injury had not yet healed 100 percent, but he forced himself to play because he wanted to help the team in the final match.
"And I wasn't at my best earlier because my knee had just healed and wasn't 100 percent yet. But I told the coach I wanted to play to help the team," Arkhan said when met by reporters at the mixed zone of the GBK Complex.
"So, I really want to, honey. I train independently, I strengthen myself, to help the team. I really want to help the team become champions," he added.
The Arema FC player sustained the injury after the second Group A match against the Philippines which ended in a 1-0 victory.
He was left out of the squad when Indonesia were held to a 0-0 draw by Malaysia in their final Group A match, before returning to the squad but not playing in the semi-final against Thailand.
