Indonesian newspaper says surprising things about home team and U23 Vietnam

(Dan Tri) - Suara (Indonesia) newspaper admits that Indonesian football is declining and they see U23 Vietnam as a model.

The Indonesian U23 team was a major disappointment, failing to qualify for the U23 Asian Championship. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese U23 team easily secured their place with a perfect record of three wins out of three matches and not conceding a single goal.

Commenting on the recent period, the Suara newspaper published an article titled: "Indonesia U23 suffers a disastrous decline, while Vietnam rises to Asian prominence."

Indonesian media views Vietnam's U23 team as a model for development (Photo: Minh Quan).

In the article, the author comments on the Vietnam U23 team: “The Vietnam U23 team has a tradition in youth tournaments. They have participated in the U23 Asian Championship for the sixth consecutive time. In the previous five appearances, the team's performance has been quite consistent and impressive.”

Even in the 2018 tournament, the Vietnam U23 team reached a historic final but ultimately lost to Uzbekistan U23. To date, Vietnam U23 remains the only team from Southeast Asia to reach the final of the AFC U23 Championship.

In the last two tournaments, the Vietnam U23 team has reached the quarter-finals. They have shown consistency in their performance and are becoming increasingly mature.”

Meanwhile, commenting on the home team, Suara wrote: “The Indonesian U23 team caused a shock by reaching the semi-finals in 2024 on their first appearance in the tournament. However, the upward trajectory of Indonesian football has been interrupted as they greatly disappointed by failing to qualify for the 2026 U23 Asian Championship. In that tournament, they drew with Laos U23, won against Macau U23, and lost to South Korea U23.”

It's unfortunate that the Indonesian U23 squad still includes seven players who participated in the U23 Asian Championship two years ago.

Indonesia's U23 team has yet to establish consistency in youth tournaments (Photo: PSSI).

The Suara newspaper compared the two teams, saying: "Vietnamese football has consistently pursued a youth development policy, leading to continuous success. Indonesia should consider the success of Vietnamese football as motivation to improve its youth football."

After securing a place in the U23 Asian Championship, the Vietnam U23 team will participate in the crucial SEA Games 33 at the end of the year. Following that, in early January next year, the team will continue their campaign in the U23 Asian Championship in Saudi Arabia.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-indonesia-noi-dieu-bat-ngo-ve-doi-nha-va-u23-viet-nam-20250911194051565.htm