Indonesia, despite high expectations, suffered an early shock. In the 6th minute, Vietnam's high press led to a well-coordinated attack. Van Vi broke through to score past Nadeo from a tight angle, following a precise through ball from Hoang Duc. Nine minutes later, as Indonesia pushed forward, they conceded a second goal from a textbook Vietnam counter-attack. Thanh Long delivered a clever through ball, splitting the home defense, allowing Hai Long to penetrate the penalty area and beat Nadeo in a one-on-one.

The two early goals and the team's stalemate forced coach Herdman to change his habit of watching the match from the stands, moving to the technical area to directly instruct the players. However, the English coach's close instructions and personnel adjustments did not yield results. Indonesia even appeared to tire midway through the second half, conceding a third goal in the 71st minute. Hoang Duc "danced" through several home players in the center circle, then delivered a through ball to newly substituted striker Xuan Soan, who easily beat Nadeo in a one-on-one.

This 0-3 defeat dropped Indonesia to third in Group A, with only 6 points from three matches. Vietnam rose to the top of the group with 7 points, surpassing second-place Singapore on goal difference (+10 compared to +3).

English coach John Herdman of the Indonesian national team attends a press conference at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia on 2/8, before the match against Vietnam in the fourth round of Group A of the ASEAN Cup 2026. *Photo: Duc Dong*