Indonesian media fears the home team being eliminated by Vietnam U17 right from the group stage

Indonesian media is concerned about the possibility of their U17 team being knocked out from the group stage by Vietnam U17 in the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 tournament.

The match between Indonesia U17 and Vietnam U17 in the Southeast Asia U17 Championship is decisive for the final round of Group A. Taking place on April 19 at Gelora Joko Samudro Stadium, this match determines Indonesia U17's fate after they lost to Malaysia U17 0-1 and fell to third place with 3 points, behind Vietnam (6 points) and losing the head-to-head comparison against Malaysia.

The difficulty for Indonesia U17 is that they will face a challenging match at the end of the group stage because coach Cristiano Roland's team is in high form with two full wins and 14 goals scored. Meanwhile, Malaysia U17 only has to face the underrated team Timor Leste U17.

According to the Sport Detik from Indonesia, Indonesia U17 needs to defeat Vietnam U17 in the match on April 19 and hopes Malaysia U17 makes mistakes.

"To secure a direct ticket, Indonesia U17 must finish top of Group A. The only way to achieve this is to beat Vietnam U17 in the final match and hope Malaysia U17 loses to Timor Leste. In that scenario, Indonesia U17 would top Group A with 6 points due to a better head-to-head record against Vietnam U17. If Indonesia U17 wins against Vietnam U17 but Malaysia U17 also wins, Indonesia U17 would end in second place and must compete for a wildcard ticket with the second-place teams from Groups B and C," the Sport Detik writes.

The Indonesian newspaper presents another scenario: "Meanwhile, if Indonesia U17 draws with Vietnam U17, they still have hope to advance provided Malaysia U17 also loses. This scenario allows Indonesia U17 a chance to enter the top four strongest teams even if they finish second in the group."

The Sport Detik points out the scenario leading to Indonesia U17's elimination: "However, if they lose, regardless of Malaysia U17's result, Indonesia U17 will definitely be eliminated. The third position will not help them at all."

Vietnam U17's form makes the Indonesian newspaper worried: "Based on performances from the start of the tournament, Vietnam U17 is clearly an extremely tough opponent for Indonesia U17. Coach Cristiano Roland's team has convincingly won both matches: defeating Malaysia U17 4-0 and beating Timor Leste U17 with a 10-0 score."

"Indonesia U17 will face a challenging task in the final group stage match this week. Can player Dava Yunna and his teammates advance to the semifinals?" the Sport Detik writes.