“EXPOSED BY THE MEDIA”
Having only won 1-0 against Myanmar, the Indonesian team is not highly appreciated, even doubted. CNN Indonesia news agency commented: “Coach Shin Tae-yong’s students played unconvincingly in the first 45 minutes. Fortunately, Myanmar players squandered many opportunities. Although they played better in the second half. , but overall the Indonesian team’s performance is still disappointing.”
Rafael Struick (11) once made it difficult for both Hung Dung and Xuan Manh
PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG
It is understandable that the Indonesian team did not play well. In this match, there were 8 players playing for the national team for the first time. Coach Shin Tae-yong also fielded a starting lineup with an average age of 19.9 years old, too young. Due to lack of experience, lack of cohesion, plus having to play away from home, the Indonesian team was under a lot of pressure and almost conceded a goal many times. The Indonesian press also commented that if they played like that against stronger opponents like the Vietnamese team, coach Shin Tae-yong and his team would have a high risk of failure.
The next concern of the Indonesian press is the match schedule. After the first round, the Vietnamese team had a rest and had 5 days to prepare for the encounter at Viet Tri’s home field. Meanwhile, the Indonesian team must return to Jakarta to welcome Laos. Next, they had to move to Vietnam, causing their rest time to be significantly shortened. This is a big disadvantage because many important players of the Indonesian team will not be in the best condition. Some key players such as Asnawi Mangkualam and Rafael Struick have only just joined forces, sat on the bench in the match against the Myanmar team and were put on the field in the second half.
THE HOME TEAM OF VN IS NOT ALLOWED TO BE RARE
The Indonesian team has two big worries before the important confrontation with the Vietnamese team: the inexperienced young stars and the tight schedule. However, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team cannot be subjective. The team from the land of thousands of islands still has 3 stars who once made the Vietnamese team “hate”. First up is Rafael Struick. This naturalized striker is rich in speed and strength, making it difficult for Xuan Manh, Tien Dung, and Hung Dung to tag him. He was also the one who caused Thanh Binh to foul in the penalty area at the 2023 Asian Cup. After that, Asnawi scored on the penalty spot, helping the Indonesian team defeat the Vietnamese team.
It is also impossible not to mention Pratama Arhan, a full-back who possesses powerful throw-ins. From his throw-in, Minh Trong made a mistake, creating conditions for Egy Maulana to score the only goal in the confrontation in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. He also caused the U.22 Vietnam team to concede a goal in the match. SEA Games 32 after a throw-in caused a disturbance in the defense.
The remaining dangerous factor is Marselino Ferdinan, who also scored against the U.22 Vietnam team. He is currently Indonesia’s highest-class native star, a rare person who can join the main team to play with naturalized players. Recently, he scored a double to help the Indonesian team create an earthquake: defeating Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
All of the above players played well in the match against the Myanmar team, and these are factors that the Vietnamese team must be wary of.
WILL CAMBODIA CONTINUE TO MAKE AN IMPRESSIONS?
In the second round of Group A – AFF Cup 2024 on December 11, the Cambodian team will face host Singapore at 6:00 p.m. After what was shown in the 2-2 draw with the Malaysian team, “Angkor Warriors” are being highly appreciated, being a bright candidate for second place in the table. Facing Singapore, a much easier opponent than Malaysia, is an opportunity for the Cambodian team to accumulate points, thereby competing for the next ticket. Because in the remaining match, the Malaysian team is almost certain to win all 3 points when they only have to meet the away team Timor Leste at 8:00 p.m. on the same day.
