The Women's National Football Team Defeats the Odds Against Vietnam

HAI PHONG, FRIDAY — The Indonesian women's national football team will face adversity when meeting Vietnam in the continuation of the 2025 ASEAN Women's Championship. Almost all aspects are not in favor of "Garuda Pertiwi," but they need not be daunted.

Indonesia indeed arrived at the 2025 ASEAN Women's Championship as the champion of the 2024 AFF Women's Cup. In the qualifying tournament for the ASEAN Championship, the women's national team was the best team among the six lowest-ranked teams in Southeast Asia.

However, that status does not mean much in the ASEAN Championship. This tournament is a real test for Garuda Pertiwi. The teams competing are the 6 teams that finished at the top in the previous edition. Four of them have already tasted the championship title.

The true face of competition in Southeast Asia was immediately evident when Indonesia faced Thailand in the opening match on Wednesday (6/8/2025). Vivi Oktavia Riski and her teammates were utterly defeated by the "Elephant" with a score of 0-7.

After a crushing defeat from the record titleholder of the ASEAN Championship with four trophies, the next challenge awaits Indonesia. The team, now managed by interim coach Joko Susilo, will face the host nation at Lach Tray Stadium, Hai Phong, Vietnam, on Saturday (9/8/2025) at 19:30 WIB.

Almost no aspect favors Indonesia. Viewed from the record of meetings, world rankings, and previous match results, Vietnam is superior.

As the host, Vietnam clearly receives additional motivation to win and advance far in the tournament. In fact, Vietnam's coach, Mai Duc Chung, explicitly stated that their target is to reach the final.

Vietnam last competed in the final match in the 2019 edition. At that time, they successfully defeated another finalist, Thailand, to secure their third title in the ASEAN Championship.

"Direct support from home supporters will provide energy and motivation for the players. However, if the results do not meet expectations, the pressure will also be significant. Nevertheless, we believe that the support from fans will provide extra motivation for the players to perform better," said Mai Duc Chung on the official tournament website.

"Our target is to reach the final. To achieve this, the entire team must remain determined and each player must give their best effort," he stated further.

Meanwhile, Indonesia suffered a heavy defeat in their opening match, while Vietnam celebrated a goal fest against Cambodia. The team nicknamed the "Golden Star Women Warriors" won 6-0 and secured a spot in second place in the temporary standings.

The record of encounters favors Vietnam. The last meeting indeed took place six years ago at the SEA Games in the Philippines in 2019. At that time, Vietnam managed to defeat Indonesia with a decisive score of 6-0.

In a total of four meetings over 14 years, Vietnam has always won decisively. Three of those victories even occurred at the ASEAN Championship, which was previously known as the AFF Women's Championship.

Vietnam even once defeated Indonesia 0-14 in the 2011 ASEAN Championship. Like in the 2025 edition, Indonesia is in the same group as Vietnam.

The difference in levels between Indonesia and Vietnam is also evident from the achievements of both teams in the ASEAN Championship so far. While Vietnam has reached the finals six times and won three championships, Indonesia's best achievement has been finishing in fourth place.

That achievement has already passed more than two decades, specifically in the inaugural edition of 2004. In the eight subsequent participations, Indonesia's journey has always been halted in the group stage.

Vietnam and Indonesia's positions in the world rankings somewhat reflect the level of both teams. As of August 7, 2025, Vietnam has entered the top 40 in the world, occupying the 37th position. Their ranking has been boosted by victories in official FIFA matches, including the 2026 Asian Cup Qualifiers in July 2025.

Indonesia, on the other hand, plummeted by 11 ranks to position 106. Unlike Vietnam, which swept all three qualifying matches with victories, Indonesia could only secure one win against Kyrgyzstan.

Although many aspects favor Vietnam and defeating them is something closer to impossibility, Indonesia must not be daunted. This is precisely their opportunity to rise and reduce that disparity in quality.

In addition to learning from Vietnam, which previously participated in the 2023 Women's World Cup, Indonesia can demonstrate the high optimism they bring to the tournament. Coach Joko Susilo stated that their target is to win in every match, despite having a different squad from the team that won the qualifiers.

"Although there are several players from our team who cannot join for various reasons, we remain optimistic about this tournament," said Joko, who was appointed to replace coach Satoru Mochizuki ahead of the tournament.