Indonesia media unexpectedly worried as Vietnam loses 1-5 to Thailand

The 1-5 loss of Vietnam’s U16 futsal squad against Thailand at the AFF U16 Futsal 2025 changed the group dynamics and unexpectedly made Indonesian media anxious about their own team’s prospects.

According to CNN Indonesia, Thailand’s dominant 5-1 victory over Vietnam at the Nonthaburi Gymnasium (Thailand) allowed the hosts to officially take the top spot in the group with a perfect record after 3 matches. After defeating Vietnam, Thailand secured a full 9 points with an impressive goal difference. Previously, the Golden Kingdom team crushed Myanmar 4-0 and overwhelmed Brunei 20-0. With this form, Thailand has almost guaranteed a place in the tournament final.

Meanwhile, Indonesia stands second with 7 points, but CNN Indonesia frankly admits this position is “not yet secure.” The article explains that only the top two teams advance to the final, and Indonesia still risks being overtaken if the final match results go against them.

What worries Indonesian media most is that Vietnam still has one match left to play, and their last opponent is Brunei, who lost 0-20 to Thailand and 0-5 to Indonesia. CNN Indonesia warns: “Vietnam is also capable of winning by a large margin,” meaning Vietnam could achieve a big win, greatly improving their goal difference.

Currently, Vietnam has 4 points and a goal difference of -1. However, CNN Indonesia emphasizes that if Vietnam wins against Brunei by a large margin while Indonesia loses to Thailand, the group standings will shift dramatically. In that case, the remaining final spot will be decided by goal difference rather than just points.

The CNN Indonesia article even presents a specific scenario: Vietnam might win against Brunei by “8 or 9 goals.” If that happens and Indonesia loses to Thailand, the Indonesian U16 futsal team faces the risk of elimination despite having a strong early advantage in the tournament.

At the end of the article, CNN Indonesia posted the current group standings, with Thailand leading at 9 points, Indonesia second with 7 points, Vietnam third with 4 points, followed by Myanmar and Brunei.