Australia’s Football Coach Reveals the Reason Behind Winning the “AFC U-20 Asian Cup”

Trevor Morgan, the coach of the Australian U-20 football team, stated that the mental strength of the players led them to win the “AFC U-20 Asian Cup.”
Australia defeated Saudi Arabia 5-4 in a penalty shootout in the final after a 1-1 draw in both regular and extra time on Saturday.
With this victory, Australia secured its first-ever title in the tournament’s history, after finishing as runners-up in 2010, while Saudi Arabia has won the title three times before, in 1986, 1992, and 2018.
Morgan said: “We knew that winning wouldn’t be easy, but the mental strength of the players and their focus until the very end helped us win this match and secure Australia’s first continental title in youth tournaments.”
In his comments, which were quoted on the official website of the AFC, he added: “We were facing a team that deserved to be in the final, so we had to stop their dangerous areas. In the second half, we changed our attacking style, and we had some opportunities that we didn’t manage to convert.”
He explained: “I believe the confidence and happiness achieved by winning this title will help motivate the players to return to their clubs and raise their levels. Then, when preparing for the World Cup, we will select players based on their performances.”
Morgan continued: “I am proud of all the players for what they achieved in this tournament. During the preparation stage, we tried out 63 players, and all of them contributed to this achievement. I hope they all get the opportunity to showcase their best in order to earn a spot in the World Cup.”
For his part, Stefan Hall, the goalkeeper for the Australian team and winner of the “Best Player of the Final” award, said: “It was a tough match, and we knew it wouldn’t be easy. However, as a team, we showed great spirit throughout the tournament. We played with courage and believed in ourselves to secure the victory in the end.”
It is worth mentioning that the teams that reached the semifinals secured spots to represent Asia in the “2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup” in Chile.