If Laos takes a point, Indonesia faces the prospect of losing their ticket to the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers.

TPO - Despite possessing a superior squad with naturalized players, Indonesia has not improved its performance. They recently caused great disappointment with a 0-0 draw against Laos U23.

Struick was frustrated by the Laotian defense.

On the evening of September 3rd, Indonesia played their opening match in Group J of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. They are in the same group as South Korea, Laos, and Macau (China). Prior to this, South Korea had easily defeated Macau (China) 5-0, so Indonesia understood they needed a resounding victory to maintain their pursuit of the top spot and a place in the next round.

With their superior skill and home advantage, the Indonesian U23 team delivered a dominant performance. Featuring a higher-quality squad than Laos, along with two naturalized Dutch players, Indonesia exerted strong pressure on Laos' defense. They scored in the 6th minute, but the goal was disallowed due to a handball by Raven.

Indonesia then maintained a fairly high tempo of attack. However, despite launching a series of offensives, they were unable to score. The home team's players appeared impatient, frequently making mistakes in their passing in the final third of the pitch. In the few rare opportunities they had, players like Struick, Ferrari, Firmansyah, and Jens Raven, the top scorer of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, all squandered them.

Ferrari regrets missing the opportunity.

Their solid defensive formation provided a foundation for Laos to become increasingly confident as the game progressed. Despite facing immense pressure, they held firm. Occasionally, they launched counter-attacks that caused considerable difficulties for the Indonesian defense.

The match ended in a 0-0 draw. This result means the Indonesian team only earned 1 point, thus missing the opportunity to catch up with South Korea. In fact, it could be said that they are now facing the risk of not qualifying for the next round.

With only 1 point, Indonesia must win against South Korea in their final match to have a chance of securing first place. A draw or loss would leave them with a maximum of 5 points, making it very difficult to compete with other second-placed teams, as many will finish the qualifying round with at least 6 points. Remember, only the top 4 out of 11 second-placed teams qualify for the finals.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/de-lao-lay-diem-indonesia-som-doi-dien-mat-ve-tai-vong-loai-u23-chau-a-post1775269.tpo