This result has not caused the Indonesian team to be eliminated from the region's number one tournament. However, doubts surrounded coach John Herdman's team, after they had a completely inferior game against the Vietnamese team.
According to Indonesian media, this heavy defeat has helped Indonesian football fans see a reality that behind this terrible result is the disparity in the quality of players in the Indonesian national team.
“I consider the Indonesian national team currently playing at the ASEAN Cup as team B. Meanwhile, team A includes players from European tournaments preparing for the 2027 Asian Cup. But I think the gap between the two teams is quite large.
Now we all know the level of the Indonesian national team. I think John Herdman also knows that and wants to help us realize it. This squad at the AFF Cup can only perform well John Herdman's tactics when facing Cambodia and Timor-Leste. But when facing Vietnam, that playing style has completely collapsed," expert Gusnul Yakin commented.
According to this expert, coach John Herdman may not choose many Indonesian players at ASEAN Cup 2026 to participate in Asian Cup 2027 or more important tournaments. He also emphasized that the Canadian strategist still has many points to improve and called on fans to be more patient with the Indonesian team.
Meanwhile, another Indonesian media outlet doubted the home team's chances of winning the championship after the defeat to the Vietnamese team. They compared this defeat to France losing to Spain in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals. Mr. Kim Sang-sik's reasonable and unexpected tactics completely shattered Tim Garuda.
Attack is deadlocked, defense is weak. This is a serious problem affecting Indonesia's ASEAN Cup 2026 championship goal," the Indonesian newspaper commented.
In the immediate future, the Indonesian team needs to defeat the Singaporean team in the match on the evening of August 7th away to win a ticket to the semi-finals. In case of a draw or defeat, they will be eliminated. This is not an easy goal because the Singaporean team has played very well from the beginning of the tournament.
More than ever, Indonesian fans expect the players to recover their fitness and show their bravery to win tickets to the next round. In ASEAN Cup history, the Indonesian team is the only big team that has not won the championship. They have reached the final 6 times but lost all matches.
