Southeast Asian media reacted strongly as Vietnam faces risk of elimination from the AFF tournament.

U19 Vietnam finds itself in a tough spot after losing 1-2 to U19 Indonesia in the last Group A match. Southeast Asian media quickly offered their views on the group's dynamics.

Right after the match ended, Seasia Goal posted information about the Group A situation. The site wrote: “Final standings of Group A. Indonesia secured a semi-final spot as group winners, while U19 Vietnam still has a chance to advance as the best second-placed team. Now, all attention will focus on the remaining two matches: U19 Thailand vs U19 Malaysia and U19 Australia vs U19 Cambodia.”.

Seasia Goal's assessment accurately reflects the current situation of U19 Vietnam. Despite a regrettable loss to hosts Indonesia, the coaching staff and players have not been officially eliminated and still have a chance to reach the semi-finals as the best runner-up team.

In the match played on the evening of June 7, U19 Vietnam put in a great effort against U19 Indonesia. The hosts opened the scoring in the first half through Nazriel Alvaro before Quốc Khánh headed in an equalizer to make it 1-1 in the 73rd minute. However, a penalty in stoppage time allowed Indonesia to win 2-1, thereby finishing the group stage with a perfect record.

According to tournament regulations, the three group winners and the best runner-up among all groups will advance to the semi-finals. Since Group C has only three teams, results against the bottom team in groups with four teams will not count when comparing runner-up records.

For U19 Vietnam, the red-shirted team currently has 3 points and a goal difference of +5 in the ranking of second-placed teams. However, the Vietnamese representative's chances of advancing still heavily depend on the results in Groups B and C.

Notably, the match between U19 Thailand and U19 Malaysia is seen as a factor that could directly affect the fate of U19 Vietnam. Currently, both Thailand and Malaysia have 6 points after two matches. If the two teams draw in the final round, U19 Malaysia will definitely surpass U19 Vietnam in the race for the best runner-up spot.

In that context, experts assess that U19 Vietnam faces a considerable risk of elimination. A draw between U19 Thailand and U19 Malaysia would allow both teams to secure semi-final berths, while making U19 Vietnam's chances of advancing much more precarious.

After the defeat to U19 Indonesia, the U19 Vietnam team no longer has control of their own destiny. All the coaching staff and players can do now is wait for favorable results from the remaining groups to keep hope alive of reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 Southeast Asian U19 Championship.