"Four consecutive defeats for the Indonesian national team at different levels: Truly heartbreaking," headlined Bola, referring to the failure of the Indonesian U22 team to qualify for the semi-finals of the men's football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games in their final match against Myanmar at the Rajamangala Stadium (Thailand) on the evening of December 12.
Before this match, the Indonesian U22 team had great motivation to win as the door to the semi-finals was still wide open, thanks to the victories of Vietnam U22 against Malaysia and Thailand U22 against Singapore on December 11th.
U22 Indonesia (in red jerseys), despite defeating Myanmar 3-1, was eliminated in the group stage (Photo: PSSI).
However, the challenge for the Indonesian team is considerable, as U22 Indonesia must defeat Myanmar by at least 3 goals, or with a 5-3 scoreline, to surpass U22 Malaysia and secure a place in the semi-finals as the best-performing second-placed team.
In fact, coach Indra Sjafri's team performed quite well, winning the match 3-1, but that was still not enough to secure a place in the semi-finals as they were behind U22 Malaysia in goal difference (U22 Malaysia had 3 points and a goal difference of 4-3, while U22 Indonesia had 3 points and a goal difference of 3-2).
This defeat officially dethroned the Indonesian U22 team as SEA Games champions, but even more bitterly, they failed to advance beyond the group stage despite having previously aimed for a second consecutive Southeast Asian regional championship title.
"A failure at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand would clearly be a major blow to the Indonesian national team. It would be a repeat of the dismal performance 16 years ago in Laos, where they also failed to advance beyond the group stage."
Despite defeating Myanmar, the Indonesian U22 team was still cruelly eliminated from the SEA Games 33.
"This further extends the Garuda team's dismal run of results at various levels in recent months," Bola emphasized.
The Indonesian newspaper also listed the bitter failures of Indonesian football in recent times, including the national team's inability to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, the Indonesian U23 team's failure to qualify for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, and their loss to Vietnam's U23 team in the 2025 AFF Cup final.
"Indonesia eliminated in a heartbreaking manner at the SEA Games, Jen Raven bursts into tears," CNN Indonesia also published an article describing the sadness of the U22 players who, despite defeating U22 Myanmar, were still unable to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Jens Raven ignited Indonesia's hopes of reaching the semi-finals with an 89th-minute goal, giving the red and white team a 2-1 lead. Raven's second goal came in injury time, bringing Indonesia closer to the semi-finals with a 3-1 victory.
However, when they had a chance to score their fourth goal from a throw-in in the right-hand area of Myanmar's defense, referee Hasan Mahfoodh Ammr Ebrahim immediately blew the final whistle, denying Indonesia the opportunity to take the throw-in.
This result was a major blow to Jens Raven, who had opened the door to Indonesia's semi-final chances. The Bali United player immediately bowed his head and cried. Myanmar goalkeeper Hein Htet Soe comforted Raven," CNN Indonesia wrote in its coverage.
Thus, the semi-final pairings have been determined: U22 Vietnam will face U22 Philippines, and U22 Thailand will play against U22 Malaysia. Both matches will take place on December 15th.
Watch SEA Games 33, stand alongside the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, in its entirety onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-indonesia-tiec-nuoi-khi-doi-nha-tro-thanh-cuu-vo-dich-sea-games-20251212221532868.htm
Comment (0)