The Gelora Bung Karno Stadium welcomed its largest crowd of the tournament on 29/7, with around 35,000 spectators. Indonesia hoped for a victory to solidify the growth of their national football program. In recent years, they have considered Vietnam their main rival.

However, the home team's play was somewhat monotonous, managing only three notable chances throughout the match. Jens Raven and his teammates either shot over the crossbar or were denied by goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien. In the 37th minute, a defensive lapse led to their downfall. Despite having numerous players in the penalty area, the white-shirted defenders allowed Nguyen Cong Phuong to pounce on a rebound and score the opening goal for Vietnam.

Coach Gerald Vanenburg (holding a water bottle) during the Vietnam - Indonesia final at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on the evening of 29/7. Photo: Anh Khoa

Despite their efforts in the remaining minutes, Indonesia couldn't break through Vietnam's defense.

This was the second consecutive time Indonesia lost to Vietnam in the Southeast Asian U23 final. The previous tournament took place in 2023 in Thailand. On that occasion, the two teams drew 0-0 after 120 minutes, before the team led by coach Hoang Anh Tuan won 6-5 in a penalty shootout.

In the post-match press conference, coach Gerald expressed some regret about the result but didn't criticize his players. "Indonesia had a difficult match. We had clear opportunities but missed them and then conceded from a set piece," Gerald said. "But honestly, I believe the players gave their all. They put in a lot of effort, and I'm proud of that. In football, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We will get back up and prepare for the next tournaments."

In this match, Indonesia placed high hopes on naturalized striker Raven, who had scored 7 goals in previous rounds and ultimately won the Golden Boot award. However, the Dutch-born player didn't perform well in the final.

When pressed by reporters about this, coach Gerald appeared displeased, stating that criticizing the player was unfair. "I think the players gave their all. If I have to talk about this, I'll speak directly to them. I never speak ill of my players. We win together, we lose together. So, it would be unfair to blame the players."

After the Southeast Asian U23 Championship, Indonesia will enter the Asian U23 qualifiers and the SEA Games, where they are the defending champions. Coach Gerald said the team is on the right track but needs to improve their scoring ability. "We had many chances, but we struggled to convert them into goals. I believe our plan and performance were good, but in football, you have to score, and that's what we need to improve."

Duc Dong