TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesia national football team won 1-0 over Vietnam in the Indonesia vs Vietnam match for the Asian Zone 2026 World Cup qualifier on Thursday, March 21, at Gelora Bung Karno or GBK Main Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Egy Maulana Vikri, who only joined the team in the second round, scored the goal for the Garuda team after receiving a wild ball from Pratama Arhan's long throw in the 52nd minute.

The result lifted Indonesia to second place in Group F with four points. Next up for the Garuda is another match against Vietnam on Tuesday, March 26 at the My Dinh International Stadium in Hanoi.

First Round

The game was slow in the first few minutes. The Indonesian players seemed tense, as evidenced by the number of errant passes they made. On the other hand, Vietnam continued to put pressure on the Garuda defense.

In the 20th minute, Indonesia still couldn't escape the pressure. The flow of the ball from the back was often disrupted when it entered the central area. Marselino Ferdinan and his team hadn't even taken a shot against Vietnam.

Indonesia's first chance came in the 30th minute. Pressure from Rizky Ridho led to him stealing the ball from a Vietnamese player before he sent a through ball to Rafael Struick. The ADO Den Haag striker accelerated and unleashed a shot that went straight into Philip Nguyen’s arms.

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Then the Indonesian players started to play with more courage. However, Vietnam also played a waiting game in their defensive area. This situation made it difficult for the Garuda troops to enter the opponent's final third.

Towards the end of the match, it was Vietnam's turn to attack. The Indonesian defense, led by Jay Idzes, Justin Hubner, and Rizky Ridho, was bombarded from all directions. The crowd at the stadium screamed in fear as they saw the Golden Star Warriors on the attack. However, no goals were scored until the referee blew the whistle for halftime.

Second Round

Coach Shin Tae-yong made a series of substitutions at the start of the second half. Egy Maulana Vikri, Pratama Arhan and Sandy Walsh came on for Hokky Caraka, Yakob Sayuri and Nathan Tjoe-A-On.

This made a significant difference to the Indonesian game, which was immediately pressed. The result was a goal by Egy Maulana Vikri in the 52nd minute. Pratama Arhan's long throw caused chaos and the ball fell to Egy's feet. Unchallenged, he fired a shot in front of the goal. The crowd cheered until the stands shook slightly.

One goal down, Vietnam came out swinging. Coach Philippe Troussier made some changes. The attacking intensity of the Golden Star Warriors increased. A number of chances were created, but until the 80th minute, the Indonesian defense was still able to block them. In the last ten minutes of the second half, Indonesia attacked again and Egy Maulana Vikri had a golden opportunity in the 90th minute, but his shot was blocked. The 1-0 score lasted until the end of the match.

Randy Fauzi Febriansyah

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