Indonesia entered Pakansari Stadium on the evening of 3/8 with confidence, buoyed by 30,000 home fans and a mental edge from two consecutive wins, placing them above Vietnam in Group A. The visiting team, in contrast, had just disappointed with a draw against Singapore.

However, thanks to personnel changes, effective pressing, and speed on the wings, Vietnam quickly destabilized the hosts. In the 6th minute, Nguyen Van Vi opened the scoring after pressing with teammates to win the ball. Nine minutes later, Nguyen Hai Long doubled the lead from a through ball by Le Pham Thanh Long. Nguyen Xuan Son sealed the 3-0 victory in the 71st minute, and the score could have been higher had the visitors capitalized on their opportunities.

Indonesia defender Rizky Ridho (5) challenges Vietnam midfielder Nguyen Hai Long (18) during Vietnam's 3-0 victory over Indonesia in the fourth round of Group A, ASEAN Cup 2026, at Pakansari Stadium, Bogor, Indonesia, on 3/8/2026. *Photo: Duc Dong*

After the match, Indonesian players visibly expressed sadness as they thanked the fans. "The entire team feels exhausted, disappointed, and stuck with today's result," said captain and center-back Rizky Ridho at the post-match press conference. "But when we wake up tomorrow, we will try to put everything behind us and focus all our energy on the next match."

Ridho acknowledged that Vietnam played better, while Indonesian players failed to execute their tactics. Ridho himself, playing as a right-sided center-back, also made errors leading to the first two goals. He and goalkeeper Nadeo Argawinata received the lowest ratings of the match from statistics website Sofascore, with 5,7 and 5,6 respectively. Bola, a leading Indonesian football newspaper, added center-back Jordi Amat to the list of the three most disappointing players.

"I made many mistakes that led to goals. I will have to reflect on myself to avoid repeating them," Ridho stated. "In matches of this magnitude, even a small oversight can result in defeat. When you lose, every crack becomes apparent."

Ridho is a local Indonesian football talent, capable of competing for a spot with the group of Dutch-blooded players trained in Europe. He also captained the Indonesian squad that won a gold medal at the SEA Games 2023 and reached the semi-finals of the U23 Asia 2024.

After the 0-3 loss to Vietnam, the Indonesian national team faced intense criticism from fans on social media. However, the center-back, born in 2001, views this as normal in football. He accepts constructive feedback and disregards comments that cross the line. As captain, Ridho takes responsibility and rallies his teammates' spirits.

"Now is the time for the whole team to unite. Don't just be happy when we win; we must bravely confront and learn from our failures," he said. "In the locker room after the match, we sat down and made a collective decision: we absolutely must win against Singapore. There is no other way."

This marked the first time Indonesia lost to Vietnam on home soil in the Southeast Asian championship. This defeat also dropped Indonesia to third place in Group A with 6 points, one point behind Singapore and Vietnam. In the final match on 7/8, Indonesia must win against Singapore away to advance to the semi-finals.

Hieu Luong