The Struggle Of The Indonesian National Team Is Still Long After Defeating Vietnam And Breaking Bad Records

JAKARTA - PSSI General Chairperson (Ketum), Erick Thohir, is also proud of the achievements of the Indonesian national team who managed to win at home to Vietnam and broke a bad record.

Even so, he also reminded that the Garuda Squad's struggle was still long.

"Alhamdulillah, we managed to get three points at home to Vietnam. The mentality and calm of the players certainly deserve appreciation," said Erick Thohir in his official statement quoted on Wednesday, March 27, 2024.

The Indonesian national team won 3-0 when they visited Vietnam's headquarters at the May Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, WIB night.

The meeting was the fourth match of the second round of Group F of the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup Qualification.

Shin Tae-yong's team appeared fierce at home to opponents through goals from Jay Idzes, Ragnar Oratmangoen, and Ramadhan Sananta.

Not only collecting three points, but the victory also broke the record of never winning against Vietnam in Hanoi for 20 years.

"Lastly, we (Indonesian National Team) won in Vietnam when the AFF Cup, whose name was still the Tiger Cup in 2004. This is proof that both in terms of quality and mental competition have increased significantly," said the chairman of PSSI.

Although he managed to prove sharpness at home to Vietnam, Erick Thohir did not forget to remind the Garuda Squad not to be complacent. The reason is, the struggle is still long.

"We remain focused on facing the next two matches (World Cup 2026 Qualifiers) in June 2024 to qualify for the next round (third round)."

"There are still two last matches. The match is alive for us to qualify. Stay focused on achieving the best results in the next two matches," said the PSSI chairman again.

The Indonesian national team is now in second place in Group F of the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup Qualification. Shin Tae-yong's troops have packed seven points.

The Garuda squad must stay in the top two to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

Meanwhile, before winning 3-0 against Vietnam in Hanoi, the Indonesian national team had also silenced The Golden Star with a narrow score of 1-0 at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium on March 21, 2024.

This means that Vietnam has lost twice to the Garuda Squad in the second round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

The Indonesian national team will only meet Iraq and the Philippines at home in June 2024.

Previously, at the first meeting with the two countries when they visited, the Indonesian national team lost 1-5 against Iraq and drew 1-1 against the Philippines.