Indonesia coach praises Timor Leste's resilience, confident ahead of facing Vietnam team

John Herdman gave high commendation to Timor Leste following Indonesia's 3-0 win in the second Group A fixture of the 2026 ASEAN Cup.

Indonesia defeated Timor Leste 3-0 at Chonburi Stadium (Thailand) on the evening of July 31. After a goalless first half, Indonesia scored three consecutive goals in the second half through Shayne Pattynama (74th minute), Thom Haye (78'), and Mitchell Baker (81').

Despite the convincing win, Coach John Herdman acknowledged that Timor Leste created many difficulties for Indonesia. According to the English manager, the opponents played with discipline and executed their tactical plan very well.

"First of all, all credit goes to Timor Leste. We knew they would be a very tough opponent."

Herdman also recognized Timor Leste's improvement in the 2026 ASEAN Cup, noting that the team nicknamed "The Rising Sun" is getting better with each match.

"They have fought very resiliently throughout the tournament and have been improving game by game."

According to the Indonesia coach, Timor Leste entered the match with a very clear goal: to limit Indonesia's attacking threat while waiting for counterattack opportunities.

"They had a very clear mission: to stop us from scoring and to look for chances from counterattacks."

That strategy, according to Herdman, was effectively carried out by Timor Leste for the majority of the match. Indonesia had to be patient before finally finding the opening goal in the late stages.

"They did that very well. But we knew that if we remained patient, the opportunity would come."

The 3-0 win temporarily moved Indonesia to the top of Group A in the 2026 ASEAN Cup with 6 points from two matches, before Singapore reclaimed the lead thanks to a 0-0 draw with Vietnam on the same day. Indonesia will face Vietnam in the next match on August 3 in a battle for the top spot in Group A.