Young Garuda Challenges Vietnam's Dominance in the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Finals

The Indonesian U-23 national team and Vietnam will meet in the final match of the ASEAN U-23 Championship or ASEAN Mandiri U-23 Championship 2025. Both teams will compete at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta on Tuesday (29/7/2025) at 20:00.

This is the third time that the Garuda Muda team has successfully reached the final match in the U-23 age group championship in Southeast Asia. Previously, this event was known as the AFF U-23 before it was renamed the ASEAN U-23 Championship.

The first final for the Indonesian national team was at the 2019 AFF U-23 Cup in Cambodia. At that time, Indonesia emerged as the champion after defeating Thailand with a score of 2-1. Subsequently, in 2023, the Garuda Muda team also successfully advanced to the final round. During that match, Indonesia drew with Vietnam with a score of 0-0, and the game continued to a penalty shootout. Unfortunately, Indonesia had to concede to Vietnam's superiority in the penalty shootout.

This year, Indonesia has once again succeeded in reaching the final match and will face the defending champion Vietnam once more. Therefore, this final match holds special significance for Indonesia to avenge the defeat in the final match of 2023.

Statistically, the Indonesian U-23 national team has a strong foundation to compete with Vietnam. First, the success of reaching the finals in two consecutive events proves that the regeneration of Indonesian football continues amidst the strength of football in Southeast Asia.

Secondly, the Indonesian national team has become the most productive team among all participating countries. From the group stage to the semifinal round, the young Indonesian players have produced an average of 2.5 goals per match.

The average goals scored are slightly above Vietnam, with an average of 2.3 goals per match. This achievement indicates that Indonesia has maintained a consistent attacking playing style from the beginning of the group stage through to the semifinals. This playing style is a strength that Indonesia needs to uphold in the final match.

The third factor is the minimal number of goals conceded. The Indonesian U-23 national team has also become the team with the fewest goals conceded compared to other countries. Until the semifinal stage, Indonesia has only conceded one goal, with an average of 0.25 goals per match. This number is lower than Vietnam, which recorded 0.6 goals conceded per match. This record illustrates the solidity of Indonesia's defense in neutralizing the attacks from opposing teams.

The fourth factor is Indonesia's dominance in terms of ball possession, shots on goal, and successful passes to teammates. In terms of shots on the opponent's goal, Indonesia recorded 72 attempts on goal from the group stage to the semifinals. On average, Indonesia was able to record 18 shots on goal per match.

Ball possession has also become a mainstay for Indonesia in every match. On average, young Indonesian players are able to maintain ball possession above 60 percent in each match, including during their encounter with Thailand in the semifinal, where they achieved a possession rate of up to 71 percent.

The fifth capital is the competitiveness of the Indonesian U-23 national team players. This is evident from the market value of Garuda Muda, which is higher than that of Vietnam. According to records from the Transfermarkt website as of July 28, 2025, the market value of the Garuda Muda team reached IDR 54.75 billion. The market value of Indonesia is significantly higher compared to Vietnam, which stands at IDR 39.98 billion.

The high market value of the Indonesia U-23 team is inseparable from the presence of several star players in Liga 1, such as Muhammad Ferarri and Arkhan Fikri, who have experience with the senior national team. Both are players with the highest market value among other U-23 national team players, amounting to Rp 4.78 billion.

Beyond the competitive performance records throughout the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship, the young Indonesian players also possess high motivation on the Asian stage. This year's Garuda Muda journey does not end with the ASEAN U-23 Championship. In September 2025, the U-23 national team will compete in the qualification for the 2026 U-23 Asian Cup. This qualification round serves as a true test of quality for the Garuda Muda team.

Based on the results of the group draw in May 2025, Indonesia will face South Korea, Laos, and Macau. Indonesia is placed in Group J and will act as the host. To qualify automatically for the U-23 Asian Cup, Indonesia must become the group champion. This means that Indonesia must be able to overcome the games against South Korea, Laos, and Macau. If not, Indonesia must secure second place and hope to be one of the two best runners-up among three other countries from 11 different groups.

The experience gained by Garuda Muda in reaching the final of the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship serves as a valuable asset for Indonesia to compete on the Asian stage. The Garuda Muda team has several key players in the final match against Vietnam. In the attacking line, Jens Raven is relied upon to score goals. Meanwhile, in the midfield, there are Robi Darwis, Rayhan Hannan, and Arkhan Fikri.

Meanwhile, in the back line, four defenders namely Achmad Maulana, Kakang Rudianto, Kadek Arel, and Dony Tri Pamungkas are the mainstay of coach Gerald Vanenburg in maintaining Indonesia's defense line.

Nevertheless, Indonesia must remain vigilant against the Vietnam U-23 national team. Throughout four ASEAN U-23 tournaments from 2005 to 2023, Vietnam has won the championship twice and secured third place once. This achievement positions Vietnam as the most successful team in the history of the ASEAN U-23 championship.

The next factor is Vietnam's success in winning the last two tournaments. In the 2022 final, Vietnam defeated Thailand with a score of 1-0. Subsequently, in the 2023 final, Vietnam triumphed over Indonesia through a penalty shootout, after both teams played to a 0-0 draw until extra time.

Vietnam will also be reinforced by several key players such as forward Nguyen Dinh Bac, midfielder Nguyen Van Truong, midfielder Nguyen Phi Hoang, team captain Khuat Van Khang, defender Nguyen Hieu Minh, and goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien.

Several young players from Vietnam have also played for the senior national team, such as Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Van Khang, Tran Trung Kien, Nguyen Thai Son, and Nguyen Van Truong. These young players have gained valuable experience competing in world-class tournaments such as the 2026 World Cup qualifying rounds and the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

An equally important factor is the figure of coach Kim Sang-sik. This South Korean coach previously led Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to victory in the Korean League, K-League 1 in 2021 and the Korean FA Cup in 2022. Kim Sang-sik also successfully guided the senior national team of Vietnam to win the AFF Cup 2024.

With the "Golden Star Warriors" youth national team, Kim Sang-sik dreams of winning the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship as capital to achieve his next strategic vision, namely qualifying for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup and the 33rd SEA Games in December 2025. (Kompas Research and Development)