Indonesian captain: 'Indonesia's level has surpassed Vietnam's'

Indonesian national team coach Asnawi Mangkualam believes Indonesia's current level is higher than Vietnam's and is confident of winning the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers – Asian region.

Indonesia is currently ranked 142nd in the FIFA rankings, 37 places behind Vietnam. However, Asnawi Mangkualam believes Indonesia is stronger based on their 1-0 victory over Vietnam in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup, where he scored from a penalty. This was Indonesia's first win against their opponent since the first leg of the 2016 AFF Cup semi-final.

"Indonesia's level is higher than Vietnam's," Asnawi told Indonesian media on the afternoon of March 19. "The victory at the 2023 Asian Cup will give us more confidence for the upcoming matches."

Defender Asnawi Mangkualam in Indonesia's 1-0 win over Vietnam in the 2023 Asian Cup group stage. Photo: AFC

According to the 1999-born defender, Indonesia's strength has improved significantly thanks to the addition of high-quality players and the naturalization policy. This training camp includes nine players of mixed heritage, with defenders Jay Idzes and Nathan Tjoe Aon, midfielder Thom Haye, and forward Ragnar Oratmagoen being newcomers.

Asnawi said: "We are strengthened by the new players. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese squad hasn't changed much compared to previous encounters."

The Indonesian captain is confident of victory in the match at home at Gelora Bung Karno on March 21. However, Asnawi will be absent due to suspension after receiving two yellow cards in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In addition, Thom Haye and Ragnar Oratmagoen will also not be able to participate due to completing naturalization procedures after the final registration deadline on March 14.

Indonesia is currently bottom of Group F in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers – Asian region, with one point and two points behind Vietnam. They aim to win four points in their next two matches to overtake their rivals for second place.

Indonesian striker Marselino Ferdinand (in white shirt). Photo: Lam Thoa — Indonesian striker Marselino Ferdinand (in white shirt). Photo: *Lam Thoa*

Like Asnawi, Marselino Ferdinand wants to maintain a positive result against Vietnam after a long period of frequent defeats, but he doesn't underestimate his opponent. "Every team has high self-respect," said the striker born in 2004. "Nobody wants to lose to opponents from the same region."

Meanwhile, center-back Justin Hubner said the team practiced a lot of set pieces like corner kicks in the training session on the evening of March 18, and started applying technical tactics on the evening of March 19. The player who just transferred from Premier League club Wolves to J-League club Cerezo Osaka affirmed that he is ready to play fiercely, fighting to win the final victory. "We need to forget about winning the Asian Cup," Hubner said. "It means nothing for the upcoming confrontation."

Hieu Luong

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