Valuable Lesson from Vietnam

Different situations were apparent in two ASEAN capitals, Jakarta and Hanoi, after the 2019 SEA Games soccer final match in Manila, the Philippines, on Tuesday (10/12/2019) night.

ANTARA/SIGID KURNIAWAN

Indonesian U-22 national team captain Andy Setyo (second right) and goalkeeper Nadeo Arga Winata (center) look surprised as the Vietnam national team scores a goal in the 2019 SEA Games men\'s soccer final at Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines, Tuesday (10/12/2019).

In Jakarta, soccer fans went home after watching the game with disappointment. Conversely, a festive scene was apparent in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city as people celebrated the victory of a world cup champion.

In Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, local residents spilled over into the main streets to celebrate the historic victory of their national soccer team in Manila. As reported by VN Express, thousands of local residents blew trumpets, honked horns and even lit fireworks to celebrate the first gold medal won by their men\'s soccer team at the SEA Games.

Vietnam\'s U-23 national team defeated Indonesia\'s U-23 with in landslide victory, 3-0, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. The victory earned Vietnam the men\'s soccer gold medal at the SEA Games for the first time since the country\'s reunification in 1975.

To be honest, the quality of our games [and tactics] is clearly below that of Vietnam.

On the other hand, the final match results were a disappointment to Indonesian supporters who had pinned their hopes on their national team, which was trained by coach Indra Sjafri. Despite the players being of a quality much the same as that of Vietnam’s, team Garuda Muda (Young Garuda) was defeated through goals made with the ingenuity of the opponent, namely through free kicks that were executed accurately.

"We have waited for a gold medal for a very long time, since we last won it in 1991. As a former national team player, of course I am disappointed and sad. To be honest, the quality of our games [and tactics] is clearly below that of Vietnam," said Dede Sulaeman, a former Indonesian national team striker, after watching the game in Jakarta.

The defeat extends Indonesia\'s poor record in the SEA Games men\'s soccer. Since winning gold at the 1991 Manila SEA Games, which was held at the same venue as the game last night, Indonesia has lost four final matches. Defeat was suffered in the 1997, 2011, 2013 and 2019 games. Disappointment could be seen on the faces of the players and the coaching team of Garuda Muda.

ANTARA/SIGID KURNIAWAN

Indonesia\'s U-23 national team assistant coach, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto (right), holds attacking player Osvaldo Haay after the 2019 SEA Games soccer final at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines, Tuesday (12/10/2019).

Evan suffering

Deep disappointment was obvious in the demeanor of Evan Dimas, one of the senior players that Indra took to the Philippines. As reported by Alam Yasir, a Kompas TV journalist, in Manila, Evan looked devastated after the match. The creative midfielder stared at his silver medal from a wheelchair. In addition to failing to win gold at his third SEA Games, Evan also suffered an injury when his left ankle was kicked by a Vietnamese player in the first half.

What Indonesia is currently suffering from has also been experienced by Vietnam. Since the state of its national soccer improved two decades ago, Vietnam previously competed five times in the final match of the SEA Games, namely in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2009. However, it always failed to win the gold medal.

One of the steps taken by Vietnam to improve soccer was to recruit a strong coach, Park Hang-seo, in 2017. The South Korean coach, who is considered to be temperamental —which earned him a red card in yesterday\'s final match — is very disciplined.

This was seen in the way Vietnam play in the final match yesterday. Unlike the duel between the two teams in the group match, namely when Vietnam defeated Indonesia 2-1, Vietnam did not put great pressure on its opponent or launch attacks. Instead, it played more defensive.

I congratulate Vietnam on this victory.

Careful tactics and discipline in defense are actually effective. Counterattacks and free kicks were used to become lethal weapons.

Discipline, perseverance and hard work proved to be successful in enabling the country to achieve surprising results at the 2018 Asian Games. Vietnam was the only country in the ASEAN region to reach the semifinals at that time and compete with giants like South Korea. As for Indonesia, which was trained by Spanish coach Luis Milla, it was stopped in the big 16.

"Since coach Park has been in charge, ball possession and distribution as well as the movement of Vietnamese players have become better. Their players also performed with extraordinary enthusiasm. For that, I congratulate Vietnam on this victory. Park and I have maintained good relations," said Indra, a trainer who surpassed Milla\'s achievements of grabbing the bronze medal at the 2017 SEA Games. (JON)