The "Garuda Muda" Team Dispels the Illusion of Victory Over Brunei Darussalam

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The Indonesian U-23 football team has many strong reasons to be proud after defeating Brunei Darussalam, 8-0, in the Group A qualifying match of the ASEAN U-23 Championship 2025, on Tuesday (15/7/2025) at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta. However, the "Garuda Muda" team quickly realized that such a resounding victory could end up being an illusion if the players succumbed to a sense of complacency.

The surprise that saw the Philippines overturn Malaysia in another Group A match did not occur for Indonesia. The team coached by Gerald Vanenburg reaffirmed the prediction that the quality of Brunei is indeed still below that of the other contestants. The quality difference between Indonesia and Brunei was so stark, akin to the difference between earth and sky, as Indonesia dominated from the very first half.

Against Brunei, Indonesia's defense faced little resistance or significant testing. Instead, the spotlight was on Indonesia's attack, featuring Jens Raven, Rayhan Hanan, and Rahmat Arjuna. Raven was the star of the match, scoring a double hat trick thanks to his sharp finishing.

Although winning decisively, Indonesia should have scored more goals if they had performed more sharply in the second half. After leading by seven goals in the first half, Indonesia's performance declined after the break.

Muhammad Ferarri and his teammates seemed to be satisfied after leading by seven goals without reply. Suddenly, the team's creativity in creating opportunities became very monotonous, as they only attempted to generate chances by exploiting the space between the defenders and the goalkeeper, relying on the maneuvers of the wingers.

"I think we played well in the first half. Then, in the second half, we did not perform as well as in the first half. However, I believe Brunei Darussalam also played well. I was pleased with the first half, but in the second half, we should have been able to develop further," said Vanenburg after the match.

Vanenburg's statement implies that his team should not become complacent despite having a significant lead in the first half. Furthermore, Brunei is not a worthy opponent for Indonesia, so this substantial victory should not lead the players to become overconfident.

Raven acknowledged that his team should not have lost focus, which led to difficulties in the second half. Such a situation would be very dangerous if it were to recur when facing the Philippines and Malaysia, which possess a quality far superior to that of Brunei.

"In the second half, our performance declined because we felt we were already ahead 7-0. So, I think this is a lesson for us to be much better in the second half, to stay focused, and to maintain the performance like in the first half," said Raven.

On the same occasion, the Chairman of PSSI, Erick Thohir, stated that the victory over Brunei cannot be used as a benchmark for Indonesia's strength due to the significant disparity in quality between the two teams. Erick urged "Garuda Muda" not to become complacent after their overwhelming defeat of Brunei.

The real test for Indonesia will come when facing the Philippines on Friday (18/7/2025). The competitive landscape of Group A has slightly changed following the surprising victory of the Philippines, 2-0, over Malaysia. The Philippines, which was previously underestimated due to being reinforced by seven semi-professional players, has proven to be more dangerous than anticipated.

"I believe that (the match against Brunei) cannot be a benchmark that this significant victory serves as a good reference because, as we know, the Philippines team defeated Malaysia 2-0," said Erick.

Only the champions from the three groups are entitled to automatic tickets to the semifinals. One additional ticket is granted to the second-best team. This regulation also emphasizes that a significant victory over Brunei is merely an illusion if it is not accompanied by an improvement in performance in the matches against the Philippines and Malaysia.

Learning from previous tournament experience, the second-placed team will be determined by the mini-rankings of the runners-up in each group. Specifically, in Group A, which consists of four teams, points earned by the bottom-placed team, in this case likely Brunei, will not count.

Therefore, if Indonesia stumbles while facing the Philippines and Malaysia, resulting in a struggle for the second-best ranking, a significant victory over Brunei will mean nothing. For this reason, sweeping victories against the Philippines and Malaysia is Indonesia's safest path to advance to the semifinals.