"Garuda Pertiwi" Sinks Under Vietnam's Dominance

Disappointment. That word once again escaped the lips of Joko Susilo, the interim coach of the national women's football team, after his protégés suffered another defeat in the 2025 ASEAN Championship. Two matches, two heavy losses.

However, our team's condition was a little less good, I think, so we conceded a lot of goals.

After losing 0-7 to Thailand in their opening match on Wednesday (6/8/2025), Indonesia suffered another defeat with the same score in the second match against Vietnam. Playing at Lach Tray Stadium in Hai Phong, Vietnam, on Saturday (9/8/2025), Indonesia was overwhelmed by the dominance of the home team.

"We're certainly disappointed with the result, but the players actually carried out their instructions well in the first 20 minutes," said Joko.

"However, I think our team's condition was a little less good, so we conceded a lot of goals," he said again.

Thailand and Vietnam are indeed still too formidable for Indonesia. These two women's teams are giants in Southeast Asia. Their level of play is actually at the Asian and global level.

On paper, Indonesia is at a disadvantage in every aspect compared to Vietnam. As the host, Vietnam clearly has additional motivation to win and advance far in the tournament. Their goal is to reach the final.

Vietnam is also experiencing high confidence following a goal fest against Cambodia. The team, nicknamed the "Golden Star Women Warriors," won 6-0.

Not only that, history has also favored Vietnam. In the last 14 years, they have been so dominant over Indonesia. In fact, Vietnam once defeated Indonesia 0-14 in the 2011 ASEAN Championship.

Out of a total of four meetings, Vietnam has always won decisively. This includes a 0-6 defeat during the last encounter that took place six years ago at the SEA Games 2019.

All of these advantages have indeed been realized by Vietnam on the field. The team coached by Mai Duc Chung recorded a ball possession of up to 77 percent.

In terms of opportunities, Vietnam was able to take 41 shots, with 19 of them on target. Meanwhile, Indonesia only created one opportunity with a shot on goal.

Vietnam successfully converted many of those opportunities into seven goals. The goal fest was created by Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy in the 25th minute, Hoang Thi Loan (28'), Pham Hai Yen (69', 85'), Ngan Thi Van Su (71'), Tran Thi Thu Thao (81'), and Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung (89').

With the defeat against Vietnam, Indonesia can be confirmed to have failed to advance to the semifinals, unlike in the inaugural edition in 2004. Only two semifinal tickets are available for each group. The leaders and second-placed teams in the current standings of Group A, Vietnam and Thailand, have secured those tickets.

Indonesia is not only submerged in the dominance of Vietnam but also in the temporary standings of Group A. The "Garuda Pertiwi" is at the bottom with 0 points. Although both teams have no points, Cambodia has a better goal difference.

Indonesia and Cambodia are the teams that qualified for the ASEAN Championship after reaching the finals of the qualifying tournament, the AFF Women's Cup, at the end of last year. Indonesia even holds the title of AFF Cup champion.

However, that status does not automatically enable Vivi Oktavia Riski and her colleagues to compete when facing tougher opponents in Southeast Asia. Moreover, they also arrived in less than ideal conditions.

The women's national team has just failed to qualify for the 2026 Asian Cup after losing twice in the qualifying tournament last July. On the other hand, the national team squad has been restructured. The coach has also been replaced.

In fact, after the qualification for the 2026 Asian Cup, the manager of the women's national team, Galih Dimuntur, stated that the ASEAN Championship is the main tournament goal this year. However, the overhaul in the women's national team seems to indicate a lack of thorough preparation.

Several diaspora players, such as Isa Warps and Noa Leatomu, were also unable to perform at their best. The reason, according to Joko, is that they had insufficient time to adapt as they had just joined the national team a few days before the tournament.

When facing real competition in Southeast Asia, it is difficult to rely solely on a squad that has been newly formed in a short period. Moreover, Indonesian players are not provided with domestic competitions that allow them to actively train even if they are not part of the national team.

Moreover, the opponents faced are on par with Vietnam and Thailand. These two countries have reaped the benefits of their seriousness in developing women's football from the grassroots level and invigorating domestic competitions, rather than through instant efforts.

Now, Indonesia awaits one final match against Cambodia on Tuesday (12/8/2025). This match no longer holds any significance for the fate of both teams in the ASEAN Championship. However, at the very least, a victory would serve as a consolation for them.