October 27, 2025 | 12:10 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian U-17 national team suffered a 1-2 defeat against Paraguay in an international friendly at Al Hamriyah Club Complex, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday, 25th October 2025. This match was part of the final preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, scheduled from 3rd to 27th November.
The young Garuda squad initially took the lead through Fadly Alberto Hengga's goal in the first half. However, Paraguay turned the tables with goals by Jose Buhring in the 70th minute and Mauricio De Carvalho in injury time at minute 90+2. The last-minute defeat served as an evaluation for coach Nova Arianto.
"Once again, I want to give all the players the opportunity because matches like this are rare for us. We faced one of the strongest teams in terms of football," Nova told Tempo on Sunday, 26th October 2025.
Evaluation of the U-17 National Team's Performance
After leading 1-0, Indonesia's defense failed to maintain focus in the second half. Paraguay managed to penetrate the backline through swift counter-attacks. Meanwhile, in the attacking front, several golden opportunities were not effectively utilized. "The effectiveness of finishing is still a major task at hand," said Nova Arianto.
The decisive goal for Paraguay came in injury time at 90+2, indicating the opponent's better mental resilience. Indonesia seemed to lose momentum after conceding in the 70th minute through a shot by Jose Buhring that was not anticipated by Indonesian goalkeeper Dafa Al Gazemi. This goal triggered a domino effect on the players' stamina and mental strength.
High Tempo Physical and Adaptation
The match was played at a high and aggressive tempo. However, Paraguay, as a team from pot 1 of the U-17 World Cup, held the advantage in physical endurance. This signaled for Indonesia to strengthen their adaptation to the hot weather in match arenas and the intensity of matches against South American teams.
The score remained 1-2 until the end of the match. Coach Nova Arianto considered this defeat as an evaluation to improve the strategy, especially the defense and the players' mental strength. "This serves as a note on how to enhance the players' focus in the final minutes when their condition and focus are declining, including boosting the players' confidence when in possession of the ball," said the 45-year-old coach.
Preparation for the World Cup
After facing Paraguay, Putu Panji and his teammates will face the Ivorian national team in the second friendly on Monday, 27th October 2025. After that, they will play the last friendly against the Panamanian U-17 national team on Thursday, 30th October 2025.
These three friendlies took place while the Indonesian U-17 national team underwent training in Dubai, forming part of the final preparation before competing in the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar from 3rd to 27th November. Nova's team is placed in Group H together with Brazil, Honduras, and Zambia.
In the U-17 World Cup Group H, Indonesia will face Zambia on 4th November 2025. The second match will be against Brazil on 7th November, while the final match will be against Honduras on 10th November.
Rina Widiastuti, contributed to this article.
Editor's Choice: Indonesian U-17 National Team Scheduled to Hold Training Camp in Dubai in October
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