Indonesia advised to reduce Vietnam's morale

According to Indonesian football expert Aris Budi Sulistyo, coach Shin Tae-yong should let his players play tight to reduce Vietnam's fighting spirit in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

"Playing at My Dinh Stadium, Indonesia will be under great pressure from the Vietnamese audience," Sulistyo told Bola . "Shin Tae-yong and his team must be aware of the fighting spirit of the Vietnamese players. Therefore, Indonesia must reduce the fighting spirit of their opponents in the next match, by controlling the ball to avoid making many mistakes."

Midfielder Witan Sulaeman (right) slipped and fouled Phan Tuan Tai during Indonesia's win over Vietnam at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, match three of Group F, second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup on the evening of March 21, 2024. Photo: Lam Thoa

Indonesia kept the ball for 55% of the match in their 1-0 win on the evening of March 21 at Bung Karno Stadium. The home team also created more dangerous chances, forcing goalkeeper Nguyen Filip to make more saves. They also received three yellow cards, while the away team only had one player cautioned.

If they do not lose at My Dinh, Shin's team will have the right to decide whether to continue even though there are still two more matches. Meanwhile, Philippe Troussier's team must win the match on March 26, otherwise there is a high risk of being eliminated.

Sulistyo believes that Indonesia must improve their finishing ability in the second leg if they want to win points. "Indonesia does not have a striker capable of scoring goals," the expert added. "Because in the previous match, Indonesia's only goal came from a throw-in, and a mistake by a Vietnamese defender. The team's finishing ability needs to be improved a lot in the next match."

Indonesia had eight shots in Jakarta, six of them on target. But apart from Egy Maulana's goal in the 51st minute, they only really troubled goalkeeper Filip Nguyen with a close-range shot from the midfielder himself in the second-half stoppage time.

Indonesia will likely start with newly naturalized striker Ragnar Oratmangoen at My Dinh. However, he has not scored a goal in the past three years, in any competition. Bung Karno's starting striker Rafael Struick is also naturalized, but has not scored a goal at the professional level for either club or national team.

With a squad of naturalized players from Europe, Indonesia has controlled the ball better in previous matches against Vietnam. Coach Troussier has also applied this style to Vietnam, but has not been successful in the past few months. The team has lost six consecutive matches in all competitions, and has won only one of the last 10 matches.

Hoang An

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