Thai media: 'Indonesia has defeated the number one in Southeast Asia, Vietnam'

Losing 1-2 to Indonesia U19 in the last group A fixture caused Vietnam U19 to lose first place and forced them to wait for an opportunity to progress. In contrast, the host team's display was highly commended by Thai media.

Immediately after the match ended, Thai website Krian Buriram published an article titled: "Indonesia is so impressive! Defeated the number one in Southeast Asia, Vietnam U19".

This news site stated: "Indonesia U19 just took the field in the Southeast Asian U19 championship in a decisive match for the top spot in the group. The host team showed superior strength and more effective use of opportunities to defeat Vietnam U19 2-1, thereby securing a spot in the semifinals.

Indonesia U19 is displaying very impressive form in this year's tournament. After three group matches, the team from the Archipelago has scored 8 goals, conceded only once, and earned a perfect 9 points.."

At Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia U19 started confidently and quickly controlled the game. Although Vietnam U19 had a notable early chance when Van Khanh shot over the bar after a cross from Duy Khang, it was the hosts who created more pressure.

After a series of attacks, Indonesia U19 opened the scoring in the 22nd minute through Nazriel Alvaro. Falling behind, Vietnam U19 pushed forward in search of an equalizer but faced difficulties against the opponent's tight defense.

In the second half, the red-shirted team performed better. Duy Khang, Tan Minh, and Cong Hau continuously created dangerous chances in front of Indonesia's goal. Vietnam U19's efforts paid off in the 73rd minute when captain Quoc Khanh leaped high to head in from a corner kick, leveling the score at 1-1.

It seemed the match would end in a draw, thereby helping Vietnam U19 secure a semifinal berth as group winners, but a turning point occurred in the second minute of stoppage time. The referee awarded a penalty to Indonesia U19 after a collision in the box, and the hosts successfully capitalized on the opportunity to seal a 2-1 victory.

This result left Vietnam U19 finishing only in second place in Group A. However, the opportunity for the head coach and his players to advance is not completely closed. Because Group C only has three teams, when comparing the records of second-placed teams, results against the bottom team in Groups A and B will not be counted.

Currently, Vietnam U19 has 3 points and a goal difference of +4 when compared to other second-placed teams. However, the red-shirted team no longer controls its own destiny. Vietnam U19 will have to wait for the results of the remaining matches in Groups B and C, especially the fixtures between Thailand U19 vs Malaysia U19 and Australia U19 vs Cambodia U19.

If just one of these matches ends in a draw, Vietnam U19's chances of advancing will be seriously affected. Therefore, after the regrettable defeat to Indonesia U19, the red-shirted team must continue to wait for favorable results from the remaining groups to keep hope alive of reaching the semifinals.