BANGKOK, JAMBIEKSPRES.CO.ID- The AFF U-23 2023 Championship has reached its semifinal stage, with the four top teams having secured their places in the tournament's final four.
Among them is the Indonesian U-23 National Team, which advances to the semifinals as the best runner-up. This positions Indonesia as the sole team progressing through this route, while the other three teams have earned their spots as group champions.
Under the guidance of coach Shin Tae Yong, the Indonesian team clinched the runner-up position in Group B with three points. Meanwhile, the top spot in the group was claimed by Malaysia, amassing a total of six points.
This achievement grants Indonesia a spot in the semifinals, where they will compete alongside Malaysia in the next round. In terms of the best runner-up standings, Indonesia takes the top spot with three points.
This accomplishment surpasses Cambodia and the Philippines, both of which secured one point each. In another group, Vietnam also secured a semifinal spot by defeating the Philippines with a 1-0 scoreline in the final match of Group C.
Meanwhile, the host nation, Thailand, became the first team to secure their place in the semifinals. Known as the "War Elephants," Thailand secured a clean sweep of three consecutive victories in Group A. With this outcome, Thailand topped the group standings with nine points. Meanwhile, Cambodia concluded its journey as the runner-up with four points.
Due to Group A being the only group with four teams, matches against the bottom-placed team were not taken into account for ranking purposes. Consequently, Cambodia only managed to accumulate a single point in the best runner-up standings.
Moving forward, in the semifinal round, Malaysia will face off against Vietnam, while the host nation Thailand will clash with Indonesia. These exciting matches are scheduled to take place at Rayong Stadium on Thursday, August 24, 2023. The four teams that have successfully advanced to the semifinal stage of the AFF U-23 2023 Championship are Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. (*)