Indonesian U-16 women's natioUnal team coach Timo Scheunemann believes Australia is a strong opponent in the semifinals of the 2025 ASEAN Women's U-16 Championship, but his team still has a chance to win.
Indonesia, as the winner of Group A, will face Australia, the winner of Group C, in the semifinals of the ASEAN U-16 Women's Championship at Manahan Stadium, Solo, on Wednesday (27/8) at 19.30 WIB.
"But if we can unleash our abilities, we have a chance. Even though our opponents are tough, Australia is probably 10-15 years ahead of us in the senior level. We only started grassroots women's soccer two years ago, so we're about five years behind at this age," Timo said at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Australia, Timo said, is a country whose women's soccer is far more advanced than Indonesia's (106th in the world) as they are now ranked 15th. Michael Edward Cooper's team was also the first winner of this edition in 2009.
According to Timo, Australia is a team that possesses strengths in power and posture. "Our stamina is on par with Australia's, but they are far superior to us in terms of power and posture," said the former Persema Malang coach.
"They can see that when they pass the ball from side to side, there's no need for a bridge. For example, our players don't need to be taught, 'If you're going to pass it there, pass it to the middle first, because the ball won't reach the middle.' "Pass it to the middle and then continue," he said.
