August 27, 2025 | 05:19 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s U-16 women’s national team is set to face a formidable opponent, Australia, in the semifinal of the 2025 AFF U-16 Women’s Cup (ASEAN U-16 Women’s Championship). The match will be held at Manahan Stadium, Solo, Central Java, on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 7:30 PM WIB.
Head coach Timo Scheunemann admitted that his squad still lags behind Australia in terms of development and experience.
Australia has been building its women’s national team program for at least five years, while Indonesia only began grassroots development for women’s football two years ago. Still, Timo remains hopeful.
“If we can show our abilities, we have a chance. Australia is strong, but at the senior level, they are about 10-15 years ahead of us. For this age group, we’re behind by around five years, but we’ll give our best,” Timo said at a press conference on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
Australia, currently ranked 15th in the FIFA world rankings, is one of the region’s most advanced teams in women’s football. Led by coach Michael Edward Cooper, the Young Matildas also won the inaugural AFF U-16 Women's Cup in 2009. In comparison, Indonesia sits at 106th in the world rankings.
Timo highlighted Australia’s strength in physicality and ball movement. “When they pass from side to side, they don’t need to bridge. For us, we still have to teach players to pass through the center first before continuing,” he explained.
Australia’s quality was evident when they defeated Thailand, three-time champions of the tournament, 2-1 in the group stage. “Their attacks mainly come from the wings. They’re fast on the flanks and tall in the center,” Timo noted.
Despite the challenge, Timo urged his players to give their maximum effort and maintain team unity. “We’ve already shown compactness, but we must be at 100 percent to stand a chance. Even if we lose, we should lose with honor,” the 51-year-old coach said.
Semifinal Schedule, AFF U-16 Women’ Cup 2025:
03:30 PM WIB: Vietnam vs Thailand
07:30 PM WIB: Indonesia vs Australia
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