On the evening of September 29, U23 Vietnam won 1-0 against U23 Indonesia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium to win the U23 Southeast Asian Championship for the third consecutive time. The victory of coach Kim Sang Sik and his team against the host team has made the continental media admire.
ESPN (Asian version) published an article praising the victory of U23 Vietnam, the content of the article said: "With the enthusiastic cheers of more than 35,000 home fans at Gelora Bung Karno, U23 Indonesia entered the final match of U23 Southeast Asia with the desire to win the championship for the second time. However, their opponent is U23 Vietnam, a team that has won the championship twice and is looking to consolidate its position as the "king" of the region at the U23 level.
The match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Indonesia was tense (Photo: Getty).
As expected, the match was tense and fierce from the very first minutes. Both teams showed courage, ready to compete for every meter, creating a heated atmosphere on the field. However, when the final whistle sounded, bravery and experience spoke up, U23 Vietnam won by a minimum score of 1-0, enough to lift the U23 ASEAN Mandiri Cup 2025 championship trophy.
In a final, just one moment of brilliance is enough to decide the fate. In the 36th minute, from a corner kick, the ball was in disarray in the Indonesian penalty area. Nguyen Cong Phuong quickly seized the opportunity, decisively shooting into the bottom corner of the goal, opening the score for U23 Vietnam. This goal not only showed Cong Phuong's sharpness but also showed the great ability of the Vietnamese players to take advantage of opportunities.
Cong Phuong's goal came from a situation where the Indonesian defense made a mistake in positioning. The five players in white seemed to be drawn to the same spot, allowing Pham Ly Duc to head the ball back and Kakang Rudianto could only clear the ball a few meters away, right into Cong Phuong's position. The young Vietnamese midfielder did not miss this golden opportunity.
While U23 Vietnam successfully took advantage of the rare opportunity, U23 Indonesia could not find the necessary composure when the opportunity arose. Right from the 5th minute, from a long throw-in by Robi Darwis, the ball reached Jens Raven in an unmarked position, only 5 meters from the goal. However, this striker missed his header, missing the opportunity to open the score regrettably.
Raven left many regrets for Indonesian fans when they missed a great scoring opportunity in the 5th minute (Photo: Getty).
Vietnam U23 quickly entered the game and showed their usual tenacity. They were quick in the tackles and did not hesitate to face any challenge. More importantly, coach Kim Sang Sik's players maintained an amazing calmness, while Indonesia U23 appeared confused, receiving two yellow cards in just the first 13 minutes of the match.
However, U23 Indonesia still created many dangerous opportunities. In the 26th minute, Rahmat Arjuna escaped to face goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien but was flagged offside. Four minutes later, Trung Kien once again excellently rushed out to block Rayhan Hannan's shot. The alertness of the Vietnamese goalkeeper saved the home team many times.
In the second half, U23 Vietnam took the initiative to play defensive counter-attacks, giving the game to the opponent. With a formation of 5 defenders and 4 deep midfielders, they created two solid defensive walls, making it extremely difficult for U23 Indonesia to approach the goal. Despite controlling the ball up to 68%, U23 Indonesia still could not penetrate the opponent's solid defense.
Darwis' long throw-ins were Indonesia's most formidable weapon, but U23 Vietnam found ways to limit this threat. Coach Kim Sang Sik even had "tricky" actions such as standing in Darwis's path or placing a water bottle to obstruct, showing his determination to protect the result to the end.
The match became more and more tense and dramatic towards the end. Vietnamese players often lay on the field after collisions, causing the match to be interrupted and the extra time to be unusually long. The frustration of the young Indonesian players was understandable when they could not find an equalizer.
U23 Vietnam has shown the spirit of a champion (Photo: Getty).
When the final whistle blew in the 101st minute, U23 Vietnam officially won the U23 Southeast Asian Championship for the third time. This was a well-deserved victory, demonstrating the mettle, experience and ability to take advantage of opportunities of a leading team in the region. U23 Vietnam once again affirmed its position as the "king" of Southeast Asian football at the youth level.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-chau-a-u23-viet-nam-dung-dau-bong-da-tre-dong-nam-a-20250730094001881.htm
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