Opportunity for Vietnam national team against Indonesia

Indonesia's 3-0 win against Timor Leste earned them six points after two matches in the 2026 ASEAN Cup, yet their display under coach John Herdman wasn't as overwhelming as the score indicates. The Vietnamese team can be confident of achieving a good result away at Pakansari on August 3.

Statistics show Indonesia had 62% possession, 19 shots, and 9 on target.

However, it wasn't until the 74th minute that Herdman's side broke the deadlock, despiteTimor Lestehaving only 10 men since the 21st minute after defender Jackson Fowler's red card.

This reflects the reality thatIndonesiacannot easily break through organized defensive teams.

Timor Leste's coach studied the opponent very carefully. Mitchell Baker, who scored a hat-trick against Cambodia, was almost completely shut down for over an hour.

The 1.96m tall striker had very few chances to operate in the box, forcing Indonesia to constantly send the ball wide instead of playing through the middle as in the opening match. One reason for Indonesia's stagnation was the decision to use Thom Haye.

The midfielder, considered the top playmaker in Southeast Asia, was deployed on the left wing for most of the first half by coach John Herdman. This inadvertently removed his greatest strengths: tempo control, through balls, and midfield dominance.

Only in the second half, when Herdman moved Thom Haye back to his familiar central midfield role, did Indonesia gradually regain control. With Timor Leste down to ten men and visibly tired, Haye began to make a difference with precise crosses and especially a beautiful free kick that made it 2-0 in the 78th minute.

However, the fact that Indonesia only truly exploded after the opponent lost a player also shows their heavy reliance on the 1995-born star. Moreover, Herdman had to bring on almost all of his best cards in the second half. Ragnar Oratmangoen, Pamungkas, and Pattynama were all introduced. This trio created the turning point of the match.

Pamungkas broke down the left wing and assisted Pattynama for the opening goal. Then, Baker was fouled outside the box, and Thom Haye converted the resulting free kick beautifully. In the 80th minute, Baker finally scored from a very favorable cross from the left.

The left-wing attack became Indonesia's lifeline in this match. More notably, Indonesiaexpended a lot of energy. Baker showed signs of muscle strain around the 70th minute after constant battles. Many other players could no longer maintain the same pressing intensity as in the match against Cambodia.

Having to use almost their strongest lineup just to beat Timor Leste also makes it difficult for coach Herdman to have any surprise tactics left for the clash with Vietnam.

The Canadian coach's experiments clearly failed. When Thom Haye played out of position, Indonesia lacked creativity. When using many substitutes, the play became disjointed and lacked connection. Only when returning to the strongest core did the archipelago team control the game.

On the other hand, Vietnam could have an opportunity if Indonesia is too eager to win. The issue for coach Kim Sang Sik's players is that they must seize their chances, not waste them like in the recent draw with Singapore.

Indonesia will play in front of tens of thousands of home fans, and Baker will certainly be more dangerous when given more space and support from Thom Haye in his natural position.

The performance against Timor Leste showed that Indonesia is no longer invincible. If Vietnam quickly forgets what happened against Singapore and overcomes themselves, the chance of a positive result at Pakansari is entirely within their reach.