SEA Games 2021: Indonesian National Team Loses To Vietnam

Photo via Twitter @ppsi

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team lost 0-3 during the inaugural match of the 2021 SEA Games against Vietnam. Nguyen Tien Linh (54'), Hung Dung Do (74') and Do Le Van (87') scored three goals for the home team in the match Friday, May 6, evening WIB.

Appearing at home, Vietnam tried to suppress the movement of the Indonesian national team first. However, the meeting incumbent from the Garuda Squad made it difficult for the hosts to control the ball for a long time.

The referee blew the whistle in the first half because the game was tough and fierce. Unfortunately, until the halftime mark sounded, the score was still a goalless draw for both teams.

After the break, both teams appeared more pressing than the first half. Understandably, each goal will be a strong determinant in this prestige-laden duo.

At the beginning of the second half, Indonesia tried to take the initiative to attack. However, the efforts made by Egy Maulana et al have not yielded results.

Instead of opening the scoring, the Garuda Squad even missed out on the host's opening goal. The 1-0 score was taken over by Vietnam in the 54th minute by Nguyen Tien Linh after using a pull bait in front of goal.

Five minutes later, Nguyen Tien almost managed to double Vietnam's advantage. However, his shot deviated from the left side of the Indonesian goal.

Garuda troops again tried to get up to catch up. However, the attack that was built was often broken by the opponent through the hard defense of the Vietnamese stronghold.

When Shin Tae-yong's team tried to implement a counter strategy, Vietnam created another surprise. This time the hosts scored a goal that made the position 2-0.

Vietnam's second goal occurred in the 74th minute through good cooperation by opposing players in front of the penalty box which was then completed well by Do Hung Dung.

Being left behind by two goals made Indonesia's game rushed. As a result, the attacks that were built by Marc Klok et al were often interrupted in the middle of the road due to a wrong pass.

Towards the last minute, the national team's game was getting tighter. The distance that is two goals adrift makes the players more ambitious to catch up.

However, Dewi Fortuna is still reluctant to side with Egy Maulana et al in the national team. Because towards the end of the match, Vietnam again recorded a third go in the 87th minute through Do Le Van.

Left behind by three points, Indonesia actually still has a chance to break the deadlock because the referee gave four minutes of added time. However, that opportunity failed to be utilized optimally until the match ended with a score of 3-0 for the host victory.