U22 Indonesia lost to U22 Mali 0-3 in Pakansari, a friendly match
U22 Indonesia lost 0-3 to U22 Mali in Pakansari: Sekou Doucoure in the 5th minute, Wilson Samake in the 34th minute, Moulaye Haidara scored in extra time. Pressure on coach Indra Sjafri.
A hard wake-up call right at home. U22 Indonesia lost 0-3 to U22 Mali in a friendly match on the evening of November 16, 2025 in Pakansari, receiving three neat cuts: conceding a goal in the 5th minute, falling apart in the 34th minute and being finished off in injury time. The result came shortly after the team announced that they would bring their strongest squad to the 2025 SEA Games, putting coach Indra Sjafri under immediate pressure.
Friendly match progress in Pakansari
U22 Indonesia started the match with enthusiasm, but the game turned around after just one high ball situation. In the 5th minute, Sekou Doucoure headed the opening goal for U22 Mali. The early loss forced the home team to push up their formation, but strikers like Dony Tri Pamungkas and Rafael Struick were locked down in the opponent's half of the field.
In the 34th minute, U22 Indonesia received the second blow when Wilson Samake dribbled from midfield and scored. This goal pushed the home team into a state of disarray as all spaces were tightly controlled by Mali.
After the break, U22 Indonesia increased the pace and tried to create more pressure but only stopped at half-hearted chances. As the clock ticked into extra time, Moulaye Haidara fired a powerful shot, sealing a 3-0 victory for U22 Mali.
| Minute | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | U22 Mali | Sekou Doucoure |
| 34 | U22 Mali | Wilson Samake |
| Extra time | U22 Mali | Moulaye Haidara |
Tactical angle: Mali controls the space, Indonesia is stuck
The tactical picture can be summed up in the two words “discipline” and “precision” from U22 Mali. The away team maintained a tight defensive structure, moving in sync to suffocate the central and inner corridors. U22 Indonesia’s attempts to penetrate were often stopped early, and the flank attacks rarely got past the dense cover.
Indonesia U22 tried to increase the speed and numbers in the second half of the match, but lacked quality finishing moves. When they could not remove the pin from the middle, the home team also could not open the wing corridor because Mali covered the space very well and read the situation effectively. Conceding an early goal put them in a position of having to chase the ball, creating conditions for Mali to maintain their favorite rhythm of play.
Pressure on coach Indra Sjafri and PSSI's personnel plan
This failure comes in the context of PSSI placing high expectations on the goal of defending the SEA Games gold medal. Although the SEA Games are not part of the FIFA calendar, PSSI still affirms its plan to call up the strongest force, including a group of talents competing abroad such as Marselino Ferdinan, Adrian Wibowo and Tim Geypens, to increase competitiveness.
Coach Indra Sjafri – who led the team to the 2023 SEA Games gold medal – is expected to restore stability after an unsatisfactory testing period. The 0-3 loss to Mali showed that there is still a lot of work to do: strengthen the defensive organization, improve the quality of the final play and redesign the attacking options against disciplined opponents.
In the broader picture, the defeat in Pakansari was a necessary wake-up call. It exposed the bottlenecks that U22 Indonesia must address immediately – from the way they enter the game, the ability to control space to the sharpness in front of goal – if they want to defend their title at the 2025 SEA Games.