Naturalized player breaks down in tears as U22 Indonesia eliminated

Jens Raven could not hold back his tears after U22 Indonesia's elimination from the SEA Games 33 men's football tournament due to an inferior goal count.

Raven scored the final two goals in the 89th and 90+6th minutes. Had he scored one more goal, Indonesia might have continued their title defense.

Jens Raven, one of five naturalized players brought by U22 Indonesia to SEA Games 33, sobbed uncontrollably after their 3-1 victory over Myanmar on the evening of 12/12.

The Indonesian team finished second in Group C with three points, three goals scored, two goals conceded, and a goal difference of +1. They scored one fewer goal than Malaysia, which prevented them from securing the sole semi-final spot reserved for the best-performing second-place team.

Indonesian players collapsed in despair after the match. Bolstered by five naturalized players from the Netherlands, the team entered the tournament with higher expectations than the previous SEA Games, only to face group stage elimination.

Raven (third from left) continued to sob even after returning to the bench. Indonesia's journey to defend their title became a nightmare for the players and fans.

Indonesia paid a heavy price for their 0-1 loss to the Philippines on 8/12. Their 3-1 victory over Myanmar was not enough to compete with Malaysia, who defeated Laos 4-1 and only lost 0-2 to Vietnam in Group B.

Indonesia faced difficulties from the start of the match. Myanmar pressed aggressively and played an attacking game. In the 29th minute, Myanmar opened the scoring with a curling shot from Min Maw Oo.

Myanmar's defense caused many problems for Indonesia. The former champions had to wait until the 45th minute for an equalizer, scored by Toni Firmansyah following a goalkeeping error by Hein Htet Soe.

An Indonesian player collapsed onto the field, clutching his head, unable to hold back tears as the team faced an early exit from this year's tournament.

Playing with increasing haste, U22 Indonesia's attacks were ineffective in the second half. Had Myanmar finished better, they could have taken a 2-1 lead.

It was only in the final minutes of the match that Indonesia managed two more goals from aerial situations.

However, they could not raise the score to 4-1, which would have allowed them to surpass Malaysia in goals scored. Malaysia will face Thailand in the semi-finals, while Vietnam will play the Philippines.