On the evening of July 25, U23 Indonesia experienced a tense semi-final match with U23 Thailand at the 2025 Southeast Asian Championship. The two teams drew 1-1 after 120 minutes of play and were forced to enter the penalty shootout. The team from the archipelago was the ones who were more courageous when defeating their opponent 7-6 to win a ticket to the final against U23 Vietnam.
At the post-match press conference, head coach Donald Vanenburg of Indonesia U23 was unexpectedly absent and authorized assistant Frank van Kempe to attend. The reason is believed to be that the 61-year-old captain had health problems after screaming too much in the match.
Speaking in the press conference room, Mr. Frank van kempe said: "We are very happy to overcome U23 Thailand. This was an extremely tense match, especially in the penalty shootout. The ticket to the final is a worthy reward for the whole team".
The assistant also revealed some tactical adjustments in the match: "The coaching staff made some tactical changes that the team had never practiced before, such as using many crossing situations.
Fortunately, those adjustments have been effective. Although the players are very tired, the most important thing is to win. Now, we will start preparing for the final match."
In the final match taking place on July 29, U23 Indonesia will face U23 Vietnam. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team defeated the U23 Philippines 2-1 in the first semi-final match.
"U23 Vietnam is a very strong team. They play at a high level and always prepare best for each match. I still don't know who the most dangerous player on the U23 Vietnam side is. We will review their semi-final and the group stage matches," said Frank van kempe.
The match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Indonesia will recreate the final match that took place 2 years ago in Thailand. At that time, U23 Vietnam won after defeating the team from the archipelago with a score of 6-5 after a penalty shootout.
