Indonesia made no secret of its intention to pressure Vietnam and score from the start. They got their first shot on target in the first minute, but goalkeeper Filip Nguyen saved it.
Meanwhile, Vietnam were not in their best form in the first half as their midfield was unable to keep possession like they did in the match against Japan. The team also missed their star Nguyen Dinh Bac in this match due to injury, and his replacement Nguyen Van Tung failed to live up to expectations.
The Indonesian team, composed of players with better physique, often won head-to-head and made many mistakes.
Just as Vietnam gradually gained possession of the ball, Indonesia found the first goal. In the 40th minute, Nguyen Thanh Binh pulled Rafael Struick’s jersey inside the area and the referee pointed to the spot. Asanwi Mangkualam made no mistake and converted the penalty to give Indonesia the lead.
In the second half, Vietnam made two substitutions, one of them played well and the other did not. After his entry, Khuat Van Khang had several chances to score, but his shot still lacked a little precision to succeed. In the 55th minute, a pass from Vo Minh Trong put Nguyen Tuan Anh in a great position to score, but he put it over the bar.
Meanwhile, the other substitute, Le Pham Thanh Long, failed to make an impact. After receiving a yellow card in the 83rd minute, he received another eight minutes later after a foul on Marselino Ferdinan.
In the remaining time, despite their best efforts, a 10-man Vietnam force was unable to break through the strong Indonesian defense.
The match ended in a 0–1 defeat for Vietnam, which also eliminated them prematurely from the group stage of the Asian Cup. They will play their last match against Iraq on January 24.
Asian Cup 2023: Vietnam 0-1 Indonesia
