Failed to win the 2026 Srikandi Merdeka Cup title, Timo Scheunemann still praises the mentality of the U-16 Women's National Team.

Indonesia U-16 Women's National Team head coach Timo Scheunemann still expressed high appreciation for the efforts of his squad, despite failing to claim the 2026 Srikandi Merdeka Cup trophy.

Garuda Pertiwi was ultimately defeated by Thailand by a narrow 0-1 scoreline in the final match held at the Supersoccer Arena in Kudus, Central Java, on Sunday evening, 23 August 2026 WIB.

Even though they missed out on the championship title, Timo stated that his players demonstrated outstanding mental fortitude throughout the entire tournament. Keysa Arabela Manisya and her teammates were also commended for maintaining consistent performance across all five matches they competed in.

"They fought so hard. Playing five matches over ten days is already extremely challenging even for professional players. Let alone for these girls who are only 14, 15 and 16 years old," Timo stated during the post-match press conference.

According to Timo, this tight fixture schedule posed a major challenge for the young squad. For this reason, he emphasized that his team's ability to keep competing at full intensity right until the final match was something that deserved full recognition.

"This requires extraordinary mental strength and true fighting spirit. And that is exactly what they showed today against Thailand. Even when exhausted, they kept pushing, they gave absolutely one hundred percent," Timo added.

Timo Does Not Criticise The Team's Performance

The 52-year-old coach chose not to conduct a harsh in-depth evaluation of Garuda Pertiwi's performance in the final match.

He explained that Thailand held an experience advantage, as their squad had been assembled and prepared over a far longer period of time compared to the Indonesian side.

The Indonesia national team also did not compete under ideal circumstances, as their available player pool had to be split across two separate squads for this inaugural edition of the tournament.

This situation resulted in very limited player selection options throughout the competition. Even so, Timo remained positive, stating that his squad's campaign had overall gone very well.

"Thankfully we completed this entire tournament without any player injuries. We did lack squad depth, that was the unavoidable consequence of splitting our players into two teams. But above all else, finishing this tournament with zero injuries is already an incredible achievement for us," said Timo.

Following the defeat to Thailand, Indonesia U-16 Women's National Team finished as runners-up of the 2026 Srikandi Merdeka Cup. Regardless of the final result, the experience gained throughout this tournament will provide invaluable lessons for the young Garuda Pertiwi players ahead of future competitions.