Group Winners, Indonesia Seek Revenge Against Vietnam

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — For the first time in its participation in the Futsal Asian Cup, the Indonesian national futsal team finished the group stage at the top of the standings. With this result, Indonesia will challenge Vietnam in the quarter-finals on Tuesday (3/2/2026) at 19:00 WIB, at the Indonesia Arena, Jakarta.

Indonesia topped Group A thanks to a 1-1 draw against Iraq on Saturday (31/1/2026) at the Indonesia Arena, Jakarta. The "Garuda" squad took the lead first with a shot from pivot Samuel Eko in the sixth minute. Iraq equalized with a precise shot from Haedr Majd in the thirtieth minute.

Indonesia and Iraq concluded their competition in Group A with a total of seven points. The host team secured the first position due to a goal difference of +7, while Iraq's goal difference stands at +4.

Undoubtedly, the "Garuda" squad has achieved a historic record by accumulating seven points, marking the highest point total for Indonesia in the Futsal Asian Cup since its debut in 2002. Indonesia's previous best performance was in the 2022 edition, where they advanced to the quarter-finals with six points, finishing in second place.

The coach of the Indonesian national futsal team, Hector Souto, is proud of his players' performance, which has made history at the Futsal Asian Cup. According to him, the draw is sufficient for Indonesia to achieve its target.

"Indonesia has never finished in first place in the group stage. It is important for us to advance to the quarter-finals as group champions because this demonstrates our quality and makes all the supporters happy," said Souto in the mixed zone after the match.

The Southeast Asian derby in the quarter-finals was created because Vietnam occupied the second position in Group B after losing 0-1 to Thailand in the final match on Saturday afternoon. Vietnam collected six points in the group stage.

The meeting with Vietnam will serve as a revenge opportunity for Mochammad Iqbal and his teammates. This is because Indonesia suffered its only defeat in the 2025 SEA Games against Vietnam, losing 0-1.

"This is our opportunity for revenge from the results at the SEA Games. Moreover, we are playing at home. We must win," said Eko, who was named the best player in the match against Iraq.

Souto added that the target of reaching the quarter-finals, which has been achieved, motivates his squad to advance further in the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup. He is determined to help Indonesia reach the semifinals of the Asian Cup for the first time.

"We will strive to win a ticket to the semifinals. However, we will play without pressure because we have never reached the semifinals. This is different from Vietnam, which has previously reached that stage," said Souto.

The Spanish tactician added, "We will face Vietnam, which attacks quickly. The match will be balanced because Indonesia, along with Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, represents a relatively equal strength in Southeast Asia."

Vietnam's coach, Diego Raul, expressed disappointment over his team's failure to secure points against Thailand. After defeating Kuwait and Lebanon, Vietnam accumulated six points. This result is already an improvement compared to their collection of four points during the group stage of the 2024 Futsal Asian Cup.

"Indeed, the results did not meet expectations, but I see the team's performance improving in every game. We are able to enhance our performance both individually and collectively," said Raul after the match against Thailand.

Vietnam continues its tradition of always advancing at least to the quarter-finals of the Futsal Asian Cup for six consecutive editions since 2014. Their furthest achievement was recorded when they reached the semifinals in Uzbekistan 2016.

Raul is wary of Indonesia's technical and non-technical strengths. According to him, Indonesia will be a different team compared to when they were defeated 0-1 at the 2025 SEA Games.

"Indonesia is a tough team, especially since they will be playing in front of thousands of supporters. The match will be difficult. However, based on our performance in the three group stage matches, I am confident that we can perform well," said Raul, who holds an Argentine passport.

The match against Iraq became the fiercest duel faced by the Garuda squad in Group A. In the matches against South Korea and Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia performed relatively comfortably in their attacking play.

However, a different situation occurred when facing Iraq. After quickly taking the lead and playing aggressively during the first 15 minutes of the first half, Indonesia then found itself under pressure.

Indonesia faced the remaining 25 minutes of the match under pressure from the "Lions of Mesopotamia," Iraq's nickname. Iraq employed a power play, an attacking tactic with five players without a regular goalkeeper. This strategy was implemented from the final five minutes of the first half through the entire second half.

Despite displaying a total attacking performance, Iraq struggled to break through Indonesia's tight defense. The solidity of the backline allowed Iraq to score only one goal through a shot by Haedr.

Haedr played as the flying goalkeeper during his team's power play. He wore the black Iraqi goalkeeper uniform, unlike the white jerseys worn by his teammates.

Amidst the pressure, the referee blew the whistle signaling a goal for Indonesia when there were four seconds left in normal time. The referee deemed that the long throw from Indonesian goalkeeper, Muhammad Nizar, entered the net after Haedr's catch was not perfect.

Iraq's coach, Joao Carlos, then submitted a challenge to review the decision. After the review, the Saudi Arabian referee, Yahya Hassan, annulled the goal for the Garuda squad.

"We have studied their last five to six games and understand Iraq's attacking patterns. Usually, that is effective, but we were able to contain them from creating many opportunities. We won the group championship," said Souto.

Carlos appreciates the fighting spirit of his protégés. According to him, the execution of tactics has been carried out well, although the final results did not meet expectations.

"We played aggressively to win. However, this is the result of a fierce match with an incredible stadium atmosphere," said Carlos, who had to shout to give instructions in front of 10,076 spectators. Carlos's voice was exhausted after the match.

Next, Iraq will challenge Thailand in the quarter-finals. The match is scheduled to take place on Tuesday at 15:00 WIB at the Indonesia Arena.

Thailand became the first team to secure a perfect result in the group stage of the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup. A solitary goal from Krit Aransanyalak in the 36th minute sealed Thailand's victory in the Southeast Asian derby that concluded the competition in Group B.

For Thailand, the achievement in Indonesia 2026 of advancing from the group stage with a perfect score is similar to their record two years ago when they hosted the event. They also secured their status as group champions by defeating Vietnam in the final match.

Thailand's coach, Rakphol Sainetngam, is pleased with the performance of his players, who appeared flawless in the group stage. The victory without conceding a goal against Vietnam, according to him, serves as an important asset in looking forward to the quarter-finals.

"We have achieved our initial target, which is to qualify as group champions. This is a good result for the new generation of the Thailand futsal national team," said Sainetngam, who has been in charge of Thailand since January 1, 2026, in the mixed zone after the match.

"Next, we will strive to perform at our best to meet the next target, which is to advance to the semifinals," added Sainetngam, who previously led the Indonesian team, Black Steel FC, to victory in the 2023 AFF Club Championship.

As a note, the "War Elephants" team has consistently reached the semifinals in the last two editions of the Futsal Asian Cup. They secured third place in 2022 and reached the final in 2024.