Now or Never, Young Garuda

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The lingering feeling of disappointment after losing to Vietnam in the final of the 2023 ASEAN U-23 Championship is still palpable. The defeat is painful not due to a lack of quality or strategy, but rather because of the rough and aggressive play exhibited by Vietnam. With the opportunity to meet again in the final of the 2025 edition, this presents the best chance for "Garuda Muda" to avenge their loss while simultaneously thwarting Vietnam's ambition to secure a third consecutive title.

The aggressive and somewhat rough play of Vietnam is the first thing that comes to mind for the Chairman of PSSI, Erick Thohir. When asked for comments regarding the rematch final between Indonesia and Vietnam, Erick immediately highlighted the tendency of Vietnamese players to play aggressively during the final of the 2023 ASEAN U-23 Championship in Thailand. The rematch final of the 2023 edition between Indonesia and Vietnam will take place at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Tuesday (29/7/2025) at 20:00 WIB.

One of the ironic moments two years ago was when Indonesian midfielder, Haykal Alhafiz, received a harsh tackle from Vietnamese player Nguyen Hong Phuc. However, this unsportsmanlike action went unnoticed by referee Hiroki Kasahara from Japan. As a result, Hong Phuc walked away without receiving a warning or even a card sanction.

"Garuda Muda" ultimately lost through a penalty shootout after finishing 0-0 in regular time. The victory over Indonesia allowed Vietnam U-23 to claim their second consecutive title. Previously, Vietnam also won the 2022 ASEAN U-23 Championship held in Cambodia.

The victory over Indonesia two years ago crowned Vietnam as the country with the most titles in the ASEAN U-23 Championship, with two titles. Other countries that have been champions are Thailand and Indonesia, each with one title.

Vietnam arrived in Indonesia with a grand ambition to claim the third consecutive title. This ambition is certainly not going to be easy as Indonesia is preparing to avenge the painful defeat in the final two years ago.

"We're the hosts here. Don't let them trample on our home ground. So if Thailand plays hard, we'll play hard here. That doesn't mean injuring each other. We shouldn't injure each other. But what it does mean is we have to be brave and play hard too," said Erick.

The opportunity to avenge the defeat against Vietnam this time must not be wasted by "Garuda Muda." The momentum is too perfect to be missed with another loss. In addition to benefiting from the support of tens of thousands of supporters at home, the moment of celebrating the championship title at GBK Stadium with the supporters is hard to replicate. Indonesia last celebrated a championship title at home during the SEA Games in 1987 in Jakarta, 38 years ago.

In addition, as Erick stated, GBK is the esteemed headquarters of Indonesia, thus the "Garuda Muda" players must thwart Vietnam's grand ambition to secure a third consecutive championship title there. All these factors are more than sufficient as the strongest reasons for Indonesia to strive for victory now, or not at all.

However, Indonesia's struggle has become more challenging as the participation of Toni Firmansyah and Arkhan Fikri remains uncertain. Indonesia U-23 coach Gerald Vanenburg stated that he is still monitoring the condition of both key players in his team's midfield.

"The players are in good condition, Arkhan, in particular, has been very good. However, I must be cautious with the decision to play him, especially since Arkhan also has a future ahead of him," said Vanenburg at a press conference ahead of the match, Monday (28/7/2025).

To prevent Vietnam from celebrating on the home turf of the "Garuda Muda," Indonesia must be wary of at least two players. They are the Vietnamese midfield duo of Nguyen Van Truong and Nguyen Xuan Bac. Both serve as double pivots, or anchor midfielders, in coach Kim Sang-sik's 3-4-3 formation.

Van Truong and Xuan Bac exhibit remarkable composure when under pressure from opponents. Additionally, their long passes are accurate, allowing them to bypass the opponent's attempts to apply pressure. During the process of building an attack from the back, either Van Truong or Xuan Bac will drop back to approach the three defenders in order to create more passing options.

When Van Truong moved in to approach the defender carrying the ball, Xuan Bac would advance to support the attack. Similarly, the reverse would also occur. Xuan Bac even managed to be the decisive factor in Vietnam's 2-1 victory over the Philippines with his header goal in the second half. Both can be considered the brains behind Vietnam's attack.

In addition, there is also movement from left winger Nguyen Phi Hoang, who can be very troublesome for Indonesia's defense. The player from Da Nang FC possesses speed and accurate crossing. So far, he has provided one assist in the match against the Philippines. Indonesia's right-back, Achmad Maulana or Alfharezzi Buffon, has a heavy task of stopping Phi Hoang's maneuvers.

Although it is certain that they will play under the pressure of Indonesian supporters, the Vietnamese players claim to be undaunted. They will fight with all their might to realize their ambition of clinching the third title in the ASEAN U-23 Championship.

"All team members are fully aware of the challenges that await. However, this actually fuels our fighting spirit. The team will prepare thoroughly and go into the field with the highest determination," said Vietnam's captain, Khuat Van Khang, as quoted from the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF) website.