Indonesia won by a minimum, maintaining the top position
At Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, host Indonesia defeated the Philippines with a minimum score of 1-0 thanks to an own goal by defender Jaime Rosquillo in the 23rd minute.
The situation started from a strong throw-in by Robi Darwis into the penalty area, causing Rosquillo, in an attempt to clear the ball, to head the ball off the bottom edge of the crossbar and straight into his own net.
Before that, the Indonesian players created many dangerous opportunities. Rayhan Hannan and Arkhan Fikri both had chances to finish in the first 15 minutes, but they were not accurate enough. In the second half, coach Gerald Vanenburg's team continued to attack strongly.
In the 47th minute, Jens Raven scored against the Philippines but it was disallowed due to offside. Arkhan Fikri and Rahmat Arjuna both had more chances but were brilliantly denied by goalkeeper Nicholas Guimaraes.
Despite not scoring any more goals, Indonesia still secured the victory and maintained their top position in the group with 6 absolute points after two matches. A draw against Malaysia in the final match will secure the home team a ticket to the semi-finals.
Highlight U23 Indonesia vs U23 Philippines
Malaysia wins big, hopes revived
In the previous match, Malaysia crushed Brunei with a score of 7-1, creating a rain of goals on the same field, Gelora Bung Karno.
In this match, coach Nafuzi Zain's team had to win after losing to the Philippines in the opening match - and they did it convincingly.
Within just the first four minutes of the match, Malaysia led 2-0 thanks to a header from Danish Syamer and an own goal from Nazry Aiman.
The next goals were scored by Haqimi Azim Rosli (double), Haykal Danish Hazon, Danish Hakimi Sahaludin and Fergus Tierney.
Brunei got a consolation goal in the 74th minute through Haziq Naqiuddin, but just two minutes later, Fergus Tierney restored Malaysia's five-goal lead. Haqimi sealed the 7-1 victory in the 89th minute with a curling shot into the far corner.
With this victory, Malaysia rose to second place in the table with 3 points and a goal difference of +5, creating a significant advantage before the final match. They will face Indonesia in the decisive match, where only a victory will help the yellow team enter the semi-finals.
Highlight U23 Malaysia vs U23Brunei
Group A situation: Final round decides
After two matches, U23 Indonesia is leading Group A with 6 absolute points and a goal difference of +9. The home team is almost certain to reach the semi-finals, as they only need a draw against Malaysia in the final match to secure the top spot in the group.
Meanwhile, U23 Malaysia and U23 Philippines both have 3 points but have a different goal difference. Malaysia is ranked higher thanks to a goal difference of +5, while Philippines is 0. This creates a fierce competition for the second place in the group with the best result.
For Malaysia, if they beat Indonesia, they will take the top spot in the group. In case of a draw, they will have 4 points - a number large enough to compete for a ticket to the semi-finals thanks to their superior goal difference.
Even if they lost narrowly to Indonesia, Malaysia still has hope if the second-placed teams in Group B and C do not have better results.
The Philippines have only one way left: to beat Brunei in the final match and at the same time hope that Indonesia will beat Malaysia. If they can fulfill both conditions, they will have a chance to compete for the best second place in the group.
According to the tournament rules, only the second-placed team with the best record will qualify for the semi-finals.
Due to the different number of teams in each group, the result between the second-placed team and the fourth-placed team in Group A will not be taken into account when determining this ranking.
U23 Brunei with 0 points and a goal difference of -14 after two matches has been officially eliminated from the race.
Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/cuc-dien-bang-a-u23-dong-nam-a-indonesia-rong-cua-kho-doan-ngoi-nhi-bang-153800.html
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