'Don't let Vietnam trample on Indonesia's home base': Erick Thohir

Indonesia (in red) in the ASEAN U23 Championship semifinal match against Thailand on July 25, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Khoa

After two weeks of competition, the 2025 ASEAN U23 Championship has reached its final, with hosts Indonesia set to face Vietnam on Tuesday night. Both teams topped their groups and overcame tough opponents in the semifinals, as Vietnam edged the Philippines 2-1, while Indonesia beat Thailand 7-6 in a dramatic penalty shootout.

"We are the hosts here. Don't let them trample on our home base. So, if they play hard over there, we'll give it to them 'hard' here. This doesn't mean injuring anyone. We shouldn't injure fellow players. But what I mean is we have to be brave enough to 'play hard' too," Erick said, as quoted by Antara.

Thohir also recalled Indonesia’s heartbreaking loss to Vietnam in the 2023 ASEAN U23 final in Thailand.

"In the AFF tournament in Thailand, it was quite tough," he said. If you remember, it was quite tough, so today, if they play hard, we'll play hard back."

At the 2023 edition in Rayong, Vietnam and Indonesia drew 0-0 after 120 minutes before the guests edged out a 6-5 victory in the penalty shootout, following a miss by Indonesia goalkeeper Ernando Ari. Prior to that, Vietnam also eliminated Indonesia in the 2019 and 2023 SEA Games semifinals.

Thohir hopes that coach Gerald Vanenburg and his staff will carefully evaluate the team and learn from past defeats. He stressed that Indonesia will stick to their playing philosophy, regardless of Vietnam’s tactics.

He also called on forwards Jens Raven and Hokky Caraka to stay calm and confident. Raven currently leads the tournament’s scoring board with seven goals, including the crucial equalizer against Thailand, but he was forced off late in the match with an injury and left the field in a wheelchair. Caraka, though yet to score from open play, converted a key penalty in the shootout and may find momentum heading into the final.

The availability of Raven, Arkhan Fikri and Toni Firmansyah remains uncertain due to injuries.

Former national striker Christian Gonzales noted the intensity of the semifinal clash but believes Indonesia will have sufficient recovery time.

"Every team have their own motivation. But Indonesia can beat any opponent," he posted on Instagram.

The final kicks off at 8 p.m. (Hanoi time) on July 29 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. If Indonesia win, they will match Vietnam’s record of two ASEAN U23 titles.

The last time the two nations met at Gelora Bung Karno at senior level was during the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March 2024, when Egy Maulana Vikri scored the only goal in a 1-0 Indonesian victory.