The Vietnamese team suffered a defeat against Indonesia.
(Baonghean.vn) - Due to defensive errors, the Vietnamese national team suffered a defeat against Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the Asian region. The match took place at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
The Vietnamese national team will face Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the Asian region. This is considered a highly significant match for both teams in the race to qualify from Group F.
Troussier's team is considered the underdog against the home team Indonesia as they play away at Gelora Bung Karno. However, unlike Vietnam's previous defeat when the two teams met at the 2023 Asian Cup, in this match, coach Troussier has the return of key player Hoang Duc.
The 2023 Vietnamese Golden Ball winner will play alongside Hung Dung and Thai Son in the midfield for the Vietnamese national team. Filip Nguyen will be in goal as usual; the three central defenders will be Viet Anh, Tien Dung, and Tuan Tai; Xuan Manh and Minh Trong will man the two wingbacks; and the attacking duo will be Nham Manh Dung and Nguyen Dinh Bac.
Despite facing thousands of home fans, Vietnam confidently and proactively implemented a high-pressure style of play. This caught their opponents off guard, preventing them from putting pressure on Vietnam's half of the field.
With fluid and skillful ball movement, the Vietnamese team created numerous dangerous opportunities in front of Muhammad Adisatryo's goal. A clear chance for coach Troussier's players came in the 12th minute. Hoang Duc made a good pass to Dinh Bac, but the young striker's shot was inaccurate.
After a somewhat subdued start against the visiting team, Indonesia gradually regained control of the game and put pressure on Nguyen Filip's goal. The attacks by coach Shin Tea Yong's players were mainly concentrated on the left flank.
In the 30th minute, Indonesia created an opportunity to open the scoring. The dangerous situation arose from Hung Dung losing possession; striker Struick dribbled from the left into the penalty area and shot with his right foot, but Filip was in the right position to successfully block the shot.
Not stopping there, 3 minutes later, the home team launched a dangerous attack down the right wing. Yacob crossed the ball, but Viet Anh managed to intercept it, resulting in a corner kick.
In the final minutes of the first half, Vietnam created several dangerous opportunities in front of Muhammad Adisatryo's goal, but in the last few moments, neither Mạnh Dũng nor Xuân Mạnh were able to unleash accurate shots to find the back of the net.
Among those moments, a particularly regrettable miss in the 44th minute stands out: Minh Trọng took a free kick, goalkeeper Adisatryo made a mistake in his attempt to block it, but Mạnh Dũng failed to capitalize.
In the second half, the home team proactively increased the pace and aggressively pressed the Vietnamese team. Indonesia understood that they needed to win the match to gain an advantage in the competition for a place in the next round against Vietnam. Ultimately, the Indonesian team found the goal from a very familiar tactic: a throw-in by Pratama Arhan. The substitute defender threw the ball powerfully into the penalty area, Minh Trọng cleared the ball like an assist, allowing Egy Maulana to easily finish from close range, beating Nguyen Filip.
After conceding a goal, coach Troussier brought on Tien Linh, Van Thanh, Van Toan, Ho Tan Tai, and Le Pham Thanh Long hoping to bring about a more varied attacking style. However, Indonesia, possessing superior physical fitness and a tough, physical style of play, easily neutralized Vietnam's attacks.
Therefore, the match ended with a 1-0 victory for Indonesia.
On March 26th, the Vietnamese national team returned to My Dinh Stadium to play the second leg match.
