Many bright spots but still lose
It is difficult to blame U23 Indonesia if they witness what this team did against the host U23 Qatar. Playing with a squad of many national players, U23 Indonesia even played aggressively and controlled the ball better than the opponent. But football is always harsh in its own way.
Rafael Struick just hit the post and just a few minutes later, U23 Indonesia conceded a goal. A foul stolen painting by Rizky Ridho cost Indonesia U23 a penalty. Sabah did not miss the opportunity to help the home team take the lead.
At the beginning of the second half, the team from the archipelago continued to suffer losses when Ivar Jenner received a second yellow card in an unclear move. The midfielder competed with the opponent but tried to regain his foot before the collision. His shoe nail lightly touched the U23 Qatar player's knee but still had to receive a card.
Playing with one less player, U23 Indonesia surprised everyone when they were still able to play an open game against U23 Qatar, with an impressive physical foundation. But Al Rawi's classy free kick from Qatar and Sananta's red card everything was swallowed up. U23 Indonesia has the right to speak up about the referee, but this defeat was not unjust.
In fact, the number of opportunities that U23 Indonesia created was not enough to win. Mr. Shin Tae-yong's students could not concretize their advantage on the field and easily lost when at a disadvantage. That is the problem of Southeast Asian teams. They did not know how to handle the situation and achieve their goals.
Southeast Asia's difficulties
Southeast Asia still has 3 representatives who have not played: U23 Vietnam, U23 Malaysia and U23 Thailand. U23 Vietnam and U23 Malaysia are both in Group D with Kuwait and Uzbekistan. In the first match, Malaysia had to face a very strong opponent, Uzbekistan. The challenge of U23 Vietnam is lighter, called U23 Kuwait.
For U23 Thailand, the opponent of coach Issara Sritaro and his team is U23 Iraq. The Golden Temple team is in a difficult group when it still has to face Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan.
Overall, U23 Vietnam is probably the most favorable Southeast Asian representative in the U23 Asian group stage. Van Khang and his teammates only need to do a good job against opponents like Malaysia and Kuwait to secure their place in the next round.
However, U23 Vietnam also has its own problems when it lacks many key players, many players are under great psychological pressure after the failure under Mr. Troussier.
U23 Indonesia lost their first match and continued to meet the home teams of Jordan and Australia. Coach Shin Tae-yong lost two more important players, Sananta and Ivar Jenner, due to a red card. In particular, the role of midfielder Ivar Jenner is very important, without him is a big loss for Indonesia.
The door to the next round for U23 Thailand is very narrow as they come to Qatar with a patchwork squad and many stars missing. Group C is a difficult group, Thailand was unlucky with their draw. They need to win at least 2 points against Iraq and Saudi Arabia to create a surprise.
Thus, U23 Vietnam can completely become the leading flag of Southeast Asian football in this year's tournament. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team do not need to play beautifully, they need to win to regain the trust of fans. The opportunity was given and now is the time for U23 Vietnam to show themselves.
