Indonesian media worries about heavy defeat against Vietnam in ASEAN Cup clash

"The situation is getting worse," football expert Kesit Handoyo said on Republika. "If we lose to Vietnam, we will need to beat the Philippines in the final round."

Pundit Abdul Susila said on CNN Indonesia: "Shin Tae-yong has played around enough. It's time to field the best squad to avoid a painful defeat in Phu Tho. Shin should adopt a more practical approach instead of playing an open game against Vietnam."

Despite being the higher-ranked team and expected to win comfortably against Laos to build momentum for their match with Vietnam, Indonesia fell behind twice in the first 13 minutes on Thursday, and ended the first half at 2-2. After the break, Indonesia briefly took the lead, but Laos equalized 3-3. To make matters worse, they lost their playmaker Marselino Ferdinan to a red card.

This was only the second time in history that Indonesia have been held to a draw by Laos, with the first in the 2012 tournament.

Captain Asnawi Mangkualam celebrates the only goal that helped Indonesia beat Myanmar 1-0 in the ASEAN Cup group stage on Dec. 9, 2024. Photo by ASEAN Cup

Indonesian football expert Gusnul Yakin, usually a supporter of coach Shin’s tactics, expressed disappointment with the result, even though the team fielded mostly U21 players.

"The ASEAN Cup is an official FIFA tournament," Yakin told Bola. "Shin Tae-yong needs to stop experimenting and be responsible for his mistakes."

Coach Shin made four changes to the starting lineup compared to the 1-0 win over Myanmar. Yakin believes Shin is aware of his players’ abilities but criticized his decision to use Kakang Rudianto as the center-back against Laos, a move that created a weak spot in defense. The 21-year-old was slow to react, allowing the agile Lao strikers to exploit gaps and put the defense under constant pressure, putting the goal in danger many times.

Football expert Handoyo also questioned Shin’s frequent lineup changes, noting that the second-half lineup that secured a 1-0 win against Myanmar had performed well, but Shin made changes for the Laos match.

"Asnawi Mangkualam and Victor Dethan should have started," Handoyo said.

Furthermore, Handoyo noted that Laos’ attackers were more effective, with Indonesia struggling in one-on-one duels and vulnerable to counterattacks.

CNN Indonesia highlighted two key reasons for Indonesia’s underwhelming performance: "easy loss of concentration" leading to many misplaced passes, and "poor transitions from attack to defense", which allowed Laos to score all three of their goals on counterattacks.

Indonesia’s inability to score from open play was another concern. The team’s goals against Laos came from set pieces, two from Pratama Arhan’s long throw-ins and one from a corner kick. The team also scored their only goal from a throw-in in their victory over Myanmar.

"Scoring from set pieces is not bad," CNN Indonesia wrote. "But if the team could create more chances from open play, the damage would be more varied. The team’s playing style needs to improve for better results."

In addition to coach Shin, Marselino Ferdinan also faced criticism for failing to step up as a leader. His red card in the 69th minute, which ruled him out of the important match against Vietnam, has added to the disappointment.

Bola highlighted Ferdinan’s fall from grace, noting how he went from being the hero in Indonesia’s 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup qualifiers just last month to this lackluster performance against Laos.