Having missed the throne in Indonesia many times, can Vietnamese youth football break the curse?

(NLDO) - The final of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship is a rematch between Vietnam and host Indonesia, and an opportunity for Vietnamese youth football to overcome past challenges.

The final match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship between U23 Vietnam and host U23 Indonesia is not only a rematch of the region's top teams, but also an opportunity for Vietnamese youth football to overcome past challenges.

According to statistics, Vietnamese youth teams have participated in the finals held in Indonesia three times but have never won the championship.

The most recent time, in 2022, Vietnam U16 lost 0-1 to Indonesia U16 in the final match of the Southeast Asian U16 tournament. Previously, the talented U19 team with the core of strikers from the HAGL – Arsenal JMG Academy fought hard against Indonesia U19 but lost 6-7 on penalties after 120 goalless minutes in 2013.

These failures show that the pressure from the stadium, the enthusiastic fans of the "island country" and the host's bravery are always big obstacles for young Vietnamese teams every time they enter the final on foreign soil.

In this year's tournament, U23 Vietnam continues to face U23 Indonesia, the team that just defeated U23 Thailand with a penalty shootout score of 7-6 in the semi-finals.

U23 Vietnam rematch U23 Indonesia (Photo: Thao Hoang)

Meanwhile, coach Kim Sang-sik's team won a ticket to the final after a 2-1 victory over U23 Philippines, thanks to goals from Dinh Bac and Xuan Bac.

This is the second consecutive time the two teams have met in the championship match in the history of the tournament. In the 2023 meeting, U23 Vietnam won on penalties, but that match took place on neutral ground.

But this time the venue is Bung Karno Stadium, the biggest "fire pit" of Indonesian football, U23 Vietnam will certainly face great pressure from the packed stands.

Not only is it a battle to defend the throne and win the third title in the U23 Southeast Asian tournament, the upcoming final is also an opportunity for the young generation of Vietnam to overcome the "curse" of losing all finals held in foreign countries.

However, U23 Indonesia is determined to host the tournament. They are only participating in the tournament for the third time in history, but have won the championship in 2019 and finished as runners-up in 2023. Now, the host of the tournament is aiming for a second championship title in the tournament.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nhieu-lan-lo-hen-ngoi-vuong-o-indonesia-bong-da-tre-viet-nam-co-pha-duoc-dop-196250727122409241.htm