Fierce controversy erupts over U19 Vietnam's loss to Indonesia

Aside from the disputed spot kick at the end of the game, the 1-2 loss suffered by U19 Vietnam against U19 Indonesia was further inflamed by a red card issued to a coaching staff assistant in the 83rd minute.

The decisive match for the top spot in Group A of the 2026 Southeast Asian U19 Championship between U19 Vietnam and U19 Indonesia concluded amidst significant controversy. Besides the penalty awarded in stoppage time that allowed the home team to secure a 2-1 victory, another incident also sparked intense debate among fans—the red card shown by Japanese referee Ryo Tanimoto to an assistant of U19 Vietnam's coaching staff in the 83rd minute.

At that moment, the score was tied at 1-1 after Quoc Khanh equalized with a header for coach Yutaka Ikeuchi's squad in the 73rd minute. U19 Indonesia was awarded a throw-in on the right flank, and the home player took a long run-up to execute it.

Notably, during the run-up, the Indonesian player cut closely past U19 Vietnam's technical area and collided with an assistant coach standing inside the cabin zone. The situation immediately triggered strong reactions from both sides, with players and coaching staff members rushing in to argue.

After consulting with his assistants for a few minutes, referee Ryo Tanimoto unexpectedly showed a straight red card to the U19 Vietnam assistant. This decision provoked fierce protests from the red-shirted team's coaching staff, as television replays showed that the assistant hardly made any provocative moves or encroached onto the field of play, but was merely standing within his own technical area.

On football forums, many supporters believed this was an overly harsh decision. Several opinions pointed out that it was the Indonesian player who actively ran into the cabin area for his throw-in run-up, leading to the unintended collision.

Earlier, the match had also witnessed several controversial calls by the referee team. The climax came in the 90th+2 minute when U19 Indonesia was awarded a penalty after a collision inside the box. Evandra Florasta successfully converted the spot kick to seal a 2-1 victory, thereby helping the home team top Group A with nine points.

Meanwhile, U19 Vietnam finished the group stage in second place and must wait for results from Groups B and C to hope of becoming the best second-placed team.

Nonetheless, the red card in the 83rd minute and the late penalty will surely remain a hot topic long after the fierce battle between U19 Vietnam and U19 Indonesia has ended.