Former star player points out Indonesia's weaknesses against Vietnam national team

After Indonesia's 0-3 loss to Vietnam in the third Group A game of the 2026 AFF Cup, football analyst Luciano Leandro offered significant observations.

Playing at Pakansari Stadium (Bogor) on Monday evening (August 3, 2026), the Indonesian team failed to capitalize on home advantage. Vietnam's three goals were scored by Nguyen Van Vi (6th minute), Nguyen Hai Long (15th minute), and Nguyen Xuan Son (71st minute).

"Indonesia did not show their best form in this match. Losing 0-3 at home is clearly a disappointing result, but it must also serve as a lesson for the team to evaluate and improve moving forward," Luciano told Bola.com.

"The most obvious issue is Indonesia's poor transition from attack to defense. Many times after losing the ball, players were too slow to return to their positions, allowing Vietnam to exploit spaces very effectively. A quality team like Vietnam will always punish such mistakes," he continued.

Besides the defensive transition problem, the PSM Makassar legend also believes that the coordination among defenders remains a major challenge for the Indonesian squad.

The former Brazilian player noted that communication between the defenders was not good enough, especially when dealing with the fast counterattacks that Vietnam executed throughout the match.

"In the defensive line, we can also see a lack of coordination and communication, particularly when facing the opponent's quick attacks. Defensive organization must become a top priority if Indonesia wants to compete at the highest level in Southeast Asia," Luciano said.

He hopes that defensive organization will be improved soon so that the Indonesian team does not easily lose concentration when facing high-quality opponents.

Luciano Leandro also criticized the performance of Indonesia's attack, stating that the team failed to turn possession into real dangerous opportunities.

"In attack, Indonesia was also ineffective. The team tried to build up attacks but struggled to create genuine dangerous chances. Decision-making in the final third, the quality of the decisive pass, and finishing all need improvement."

This defeat dropped Indonesia to third place in Group A with 6 points. Meanwhile, Vietnam rose to the top with 7 points, level with Singapore but ahead on goal difference.

If they want to secure a place in the semifinals, Indonesia must defeat Singapore in the final Group A match at Jalan Besar Stadium (Singapore) at 8:00 PM WIB on Friday (August 7, 2026).