Indonesian expert unexpectedly "criticizes" Vietnam U22 team after his team's elimination.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Indonesian football expert Ronny Pangemanan expressed his regret at his team's elimination from the SEA Games 33. He wished that the Vietnam U22 team could have won by a larger margin against the Malaysia U22 team.

The early exit of defending champions U22 Indonesia in the group stage of the 33rd SEA Games was the biggest shock of the tournament. Despite winning 3-1 against U22 Myanmar in their final match, U22 Indonesia were eliminated after finishing below U22 Malaysia in the group standings.

Expert Ronny Pangemanan "criticizes" Vietnam U22 for not winning by a larger margin against Malaysia U22 (Photo: Anh Khoa).

The Indonesian team has the same goal difference of +1 as U22 Malaysia but is one goal behind their opponent. Speaking to Bola, expert Ronny Pangemanan expressed regret that U22 Vietnam could have won by a larger margin against U22 Malaysia.

The Indonesian expert said: “It’s a shame. We won 3-1 but were still eliminated because Malaysia qualified for the next round. Malaysia scored 4 goals and conceded 3. They had the same points and goal difference as us and only scored one more goal.”

If U22 Vietnam had won 3-0 against U22 Malaysia, U22 Indonesia could have secured their place in the next round.”

Commenting on the performance of the Indonesian U22 team, expert Ronny Pangemanan shared: “Looking back at the entire tournament, the Indonesian U22 team didn't play with much enthusiasm. The last two goals against Myanmar U22 only came in injury time.”

Indonesia U22 won 3-1 against Myanmar U22 but were still eliminated (Photo: Bola).

"If the U22 Indonesia team had scored earlier, we could have hoped for a bigger win. If striker Jens Raven (who scored two goals in the final minutes) had come on earlier, the situation could have been very different."

According to Indonesian media, the team's elimination from the group stage of the 33rd SEA Games is seen as a warning to those involved in football in the country. The Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI)'s excessive recruitment of naturalized players has led to a serious decline in Indonesian youth football. Earlier this year, the Indonesian U23 team also lost to Vietnam's U23 team in the final of the Southeast Asian U23 Championship on home soil.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/chuyen-gia-indonesia-bat-ngo-trach-moc-u22-viet-nam-khi-doi-nha-bi-loai-20251214174350872.htm