Indonesia Maintains Perfection Against Thailand, Reaches Final of ASEAN U-23 Championship

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Indonesia advanced to the final of the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship after eliminating Thailand through a penalty shootout, 7-6, at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, on Friday night (25/7/2025). Both teams were tied 1-1 at the end of regular time. The clever substitution strategy by Coach Gerald Vanenburg, which allowed Indonesia to push the match to a penalty shootout, deserves appreciation.

Dominating the match with ball possession and creating opportunities did not automatically allow Indonesia to take an early lead. On the contrary, the negligence in anticipating the movements of Thai players in the spaces between lines led to disaster. Thailand was able to take the lead first thanks to a goal from Yotsakorn Burapha in the second half.

Forward Jens Raven then saved Indonesia with an equalizing goal, six minutes before the end of normal time. Jens ultimately proved that his sharpness had not diminished after failing to score against the Philippines and Malaysia in the group stage.

Indonesia's efforts to score additional goals in the first half of extra time were unsuccessful, despite repeatedly disrupting Thailand's defense. Poor decision-making, coupled with weak finishing, kept Thailand's goal secure.

Conversely, Indonesia, which seemed to have run out of energy after aggressively attacking in the first half of extra time, was pressured by Thailand in the second half. Time and again, the Thai players successfully created golden opportunities. However, the agility of goalkeeper Muhammad Ardiansyah kept the score tied at 1-1 until the match had to proceed to a penalty shootout.

In the penalty shootout, two Thai kickers, Pitchichai Sienkrthok and Yotsakorn Burapha, failed to execute their duties. Among the eight Indonesian kickers, only Robi Darwis missed. Alfharezzi Buffon, who was the last kicker for Indonesia, successfully deceived the Thai goalkeeper, Sorawat Phosaman.

The success of advancing to the final while maintaining Indonesia's perfect record against Thailand in the ASEAN U-23 Championship. Since 2019, Thailand has consistently failed to defeat Indonesia.

On the other hand, "Garuda Muda" repeats the final of the 2023 edition by facing Vietnam, which in another match defeated the Philippines. Thus, Indonesia has the opportunity to avenge the painful defeat against Vietnam.

Indonesia U-24 team coach Gerald Vanenburg emphasized that he is someone who does not hesitate to change the starting lineup. Since the group stage match against Brunei Darussalam, Vanenburg has consistently altered the starting lineup. If previously he was more inclined to explore the potential of each player, this time, Vanenburg is doing so due to the absence of many Garuda Muda players because of injuries.

The most surprising change from Vanenburg is the repositioning of Dony Tri Pamungkas from left back to attacking midfielder. The 20-year-old player from Persija Jakarta has been able to perform his duties well. In addition to being skilled at evading opponents' defenses, Dony also possesses the ability to deliver key passes into the final third.

In the first half, Indonesia significantly outperformed Thailand in terms of passes into the final third. The "Young Garuda" recorded 40 passes, while Thailand managed only 18. However, the Thai defenders, led by Pattarapon Suksakit, skillfully thwarted Indonesia's attacking efforts with quick short passing schemes. Out of the 40 passes into the final third, only seven were able to reach the penalty area.

As a result, there was only one accurate shot created by the Indonesian players. The strategy of building attacks from the back, as emphasized by Vanenburg, did not succeed in penetrating Thailand's defense. Indonesia's dangerous opportunities occurred more frequently through cross-pass schemes.

In the second half, Thailand played more boldly and openly. The "Young War Elephants" targeted the spaces between lines that were often overlooked by the defensive midfielder Dominikus Dion, as well as the central defensive duo of Kakang Rudianto and Kadek Arel. Additionally, Thailand attempted to exploit the right wing of Indonesia, which was frequently left unattended by Achmad Maulana.

The effort to exploit the space between the lines paid off with a goal from Yotsakorn Burapha in the 61st minute. The goal originated from a maneuver by Seksan Ratree, which was not stopped by three Indonesian defenders. While focused on Ratree's movement, the Indonesian defenders failed to notice Burapha's presence in the penalty area.

In a disadvantaged situation, Vanenburg responded by substituting three players at once. Rahmat Arjuna, Achmad Maulana, and Dominikus Dion, who frequently made blunders, were taken out. In their place, Alfharezzi Buffon, Brandon Scheunemann, and Muhamad Ferarri were brought in.

The presence of these three new players enhances Indonesia's attacking power. Ferrari, who plays as a center-back, has been instructed to take the position previously occupied by Dony. Meanwhile, Dony has been returned to his original position as a left-back.

The player substitutions ultimately paid off. After repeatedly battering Thailand's defense with wave after wave of attacks, the long-awaited goal for Garuda Muda was scored in the 84th minute by Jens Raven. The new striker from Bali United successfully capitalized on the chaos in front of Thailand's goal.

As if not satisfied with the increase in his team's attacks, Vanenburg replaced Frengky Missa with Hokky Caraka. The entry of Hokky, who is originally a forward, indicates that Vanenburg intends to fulfill his mission to conclude the match against Thailand without going through a penalty shootout.

However, fate had other plans. The winner ultimately had to be determined through a penalty shootout.