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The failures at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium created an unwanted legend about the "taboo" at home grounds of Indonesian football. |
On the evening of July 29, U23 Vietnam defeated Indonesia 1-0 in the final of the 2025 Southeast Asian tournament held at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. According to Bola , this defeat extended the series of defeats of the archipelago teams when competing at the "fire pit" of Gelora Bung Karno.
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium has long been considered a sporting icon for Indonesia, but has become a nightmare for the country’s national teams. Since 1987, Indonesian teams at all levels have failed to win important matches at the stadium, especially when they entered the finals or semi-finals of regional tournaments.
The latest defeat against U23 Vietnam is just a new chapter in a long series of failures. Looking back, at the 1997 SEA Games, the Indonesian team suffered a painful defeat against Thailand in the penalty shootout in the semi-finals, missing the chance to reach the final.
In 2002, at the AFF Cup, the Indonesian team suffered a similar defeat to Thailand in the final, despite the enthusiastic cheers from the home crowd at Bung Karno. At the 2010 AFF Cup, Indonesia continued to fall with a total score of 2-4 to Malaysia in the final, unable to break the "curse" at Bung Karno Stadium.
The sadness for the Indonesians at Bung Karno Stadium did not stop when at the 2011 SEA Games, the Indonesian team once again lost to Malaysia in a penalty shootout, leaving their dream of a gold medal unfinished.
These failures have led many Indonesian fans to believe that a curse is haunting the country’s football at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. Notably, Indonesian teams have flourished when playing on other grounds. In 2022, Indonesia U16 won the Southeast Asian U16 Championship at Maguwoharjo Stadium. Indonesia U19 also won glory at Sidoarjo Stadium.
Source: https://znews.vn/bong-da-indonesia-dinh-loi-nguyen-38-nam-post1572790.html
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