The minister conveyed the statement to the media in Jakarta on Thursday (December 19) to clarify and elaborate on the "achieve the best result" target he mentioned earlier.
"The target remains the same. It should be noted that I have never said that we had no targets set," he emphasized.
"If possible, we aim for a spot in the semi-finals," the minister affirmed.
Thohir assessed that the Garuda Squad would have secured a place in the semi-finals if it had at least managed to beat Myanmar and Laos.
Indonesia did defeat Myanmar 1-0 on December 9, albeit managed to secure one point from a 3-3 draw against Laos three days later. The red and white team then suffered a 0-1 defeat against Vietnam.
"We sought victory over Myanmar, and we achieved it. A similar target was set for the match against Laos, but the game ended in a stalemate. As predicted, we were defeated by Vietnam," he pointed out.
Considering how things stand, the PSSI leader urged Team Indonesia, managed by South Korean Coach Shin Tae-yong, to grab three points from the Philippines in its ultimate game in the group stage at Manahan Stadium, Solo, Central Java, on Saturday (December 21) night.
"Our national team must beat the Philippines in the last match," he affirmed.
Thohir addressed Indonesia's recent drop in the FIFA world rankings, from 125th to 127th, which was attributed to underwhelming performances in matches against Laos and Vietnam.
The minister underscored that the decline is understandable since Indonesia is represented mostly by young U-22 players in the 15th iteration of the Southeast Asian football championship.
"The downgrade is not unforeseen, as our youngster-dominated team played against senior teams of other countries," he concluded.
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Translator: Zaro Ezza, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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