Indonesia beat rival Thailand 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes in the 2018 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Under-16 Championship final at the Delta Stadium in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Saturday.

The Indonesian side won in a packed stadium of 26,000 spectators who quickly put behind them a third-place showing at the AFF U-19 competition.

Indonesia’s Muhammad Fajar Fathurohman opened the scoresheet in the 35th minute of the first half. Thailand equalized with a goal from Apidet Jangngam in the 73rd minute, and the game remained equal until the 90-minute whistle. In a penalty shootout, Indonesian goalie Ernando Ari saved shots from Apidet Jangngam and Pongsokorn Innet.

As for the Indonesian players, four of them – Sutan Zico, Bagus Kahfi, Rendy Juliansyah and David Maulana – scored in convincing fashion.

“This is our first win since we started competing in the championship in 2002. This is a wonderful feat ahead of our country’s 73rd Independence Day on Aug. 17. Months of hard work, developing strategies and training have paid off,” goalkeeper Ernando Ari said.

Commenting on the win, coach Fakhri Husaini praised his side for rising to the pressure and playing a complete game, especially during the penalties. He acknowledged that most of the pressure had been on the penalty takers, not the goalkeeper.

“We praise the medical support, which was able to respond quickly, and the massive support from the Indonesian people, especially the spectators, who put enormous amounts of pressure on Thailand’s side,” Fakhri said.

Thailand coach Thongcai Rungreangleas said his team played with discipline at the start but fell apart after Indonesia scored the game’s first goal.

“We began to lose focus after the first goal but then we caught up and managed to end the first 90 minutes at 1-1,” he said.

A loud home crowd made it difficult for Thailand to remain sharp, especially during the penalties, he added.

“The Indonesian team played an excellent game. We learned a lot from this match, also from the Indonesian spectators.”

Rungreangleas said his team would face Indonesia again at the 2018 AFC Championship in Kuala Lumpur from Sept. 20 to Oct. 7.

“It will be a great honor to see our paths cross again. In the meantime, we will seriously prepare,” he said.

The Indonesian U-16s trained at the Army’s Special Forces training camp in Cijantung, Jakarta, for six months before training in Surabaya for 25 days in the lead-up to this year’s AFF U-16 Championship.

The U-16 team’s victory is its highest achievement to date. Thailand, with titles from 2007, 2011 and 2015, has won the competition three times.

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