Indonesia's Coach Worried Ahead of Match Against Vietnam U17

Indonesia U17 coach, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto, believes the defeat against Malaysia has created a challenging scenario. The opportunity for the home team to earn a ticket to the semifinals is now precarious.

According to the regulations, only the top three group winners directly qualify for the semifinals of the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship. Meanwhile, the remaining spot will go to the best-performing runner-up.

"If we talk about chances, they are very small, but in football, anything can still happen," Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto shared during the press conference after the loss to Malaysia U17.

Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto said that the coaching staff and Indonesia U17 players will immediately conduct an evaluation following the regrettable defeat against Malaysia U17.

Additionally, he also noted that Indonesia U17's conceded goal stemmed from their own mistakes, which could have been avoided.

"Certainly, this result will be a lesson for us to maintain focus throughout the entire 90 minutes because our errors led to the goal," he stated.

There is a crucial factor that Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto particularly emphasized: the players' morale must not collapse.

Most Indonesia U17 players are only 16 years old, some even just 15, so they still have significant potential for development.

"I do not want this defeat to affect the players' spirit," Coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto stressed.

Meanwhile, Vietnam U17 coach Cristiano Roland, after the 10-0 win over Timor Leste, said: "I am very satisfied with the team's performance. As I always say, in every match, the players strive to their utmost and maintain focus.

We need to continue improving through each game. I am pleased that many practiced situations actually occurred in the match and were handled well by the players.

We have understood this squad since the qualifiers. The core remains largely unchanged, with only a few new additions. We gathered in Hanoi for 10 days to bond the team. Since they are familiar with each other, the players clearly understand their roles.

Occasionally, some players still forget instructions, but after training and competition, confidence has returned. Once again, I am very proud of my students."

After two matches, Vietnam U17 has achieved a perfect 6 points from two rounds, while also possessing a superior goal difference of +14.

In the final round, Vietnam U17 will face host Indonesia U17 on April 19 in a decisive match for the top spot in Group A and the ticket to the semifinals.