Underestimating U22 Vietnam, Indonesian newspaper praises home team "to the clouds" before semi-finals

On the afternoon of May 13, U22 Indonesia will enter the semi-final match of men's football at SEA Games 32 against U22 Vietnam.

Underestimating U22 Vietnam, Indonesian newspaper praises home team

U22 Vietnam is playing better and better at SEA Games 32 (Photo: VNN)

Before this match, Kompasiana newspaper had an article evaluating the history of confrontation and the relative strength of the two teams.

In the article, the Indonesian newspaper said that the red team has the advantage in terms of head-to-head record, but currently U22 Indonesia has much better quality personnel.

“In the SEA Games, Indonesia has met Vietnam’s teams 14 times. Of those, we won 5 matches, drew 2, and lost 7. The last time U22 Indonesia defeated U22 Vietnam was at the 2011 SEA Games.

Although U22 Vietnam is statistically superior, that does not mean U22 Indonesia is underestimated. Coach Indra Sjafri and his team have a very bright chance of reaching the final.

U22 Indonesia is showing impressive strength. We have won 4 victories against Myanmar, Cambodia, East Timor and the Philippines. We scored 13 goals and only conceded 1.

Meanwhile, U22 Vietnam has nothing special. They ranked second in Group B, scored 8 goals but conceded 3 times," Kompasiana newspaper said.

In addition, the Indonesian newspaper believes that the home team possesses players of superior quality compared to U22 Vietnam, including many names playing at European level.

“At this time, U22 Indonesia has a better squad quality than U22 Vietnam, possessing many players with experience playing in Europe or Japan.

A typical example is Pratama Arhan, who has 28 caps for the national team. Currently, this player plays for Tokyo Verdy Club in the Japanese Second Division.

Witan Sulaeman also has 28 appearances for the Indonesian national team and has played for Poland's Lechia Gdansk and Slovakia's Senica and Trencin.

Finally, there is young striker Marselino Ferdinan, who is currently playing for KMSK Deinze in the Belgian Second Division.

U22 Vietnam may have a superior head-to-head record, but U22 Indonesia is the more impressive team at the moment. Coach Indra Sjafri’s team is a strong candidate for the 32nd SEA Games gold medal,” Kompasiana concluded.

According to the schedule, the match between U22 Vietnam and U22 Indonesia will take place at 4:00 p.m. on May 13.

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