2025 Southeast Asian U23 Final: Gelora Bung Karno's 'fiery pan' test

TP - Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have gone through a long journey before reaching the final, and the confrontation with host U23 Indonesia at the "fire pit" Gelora Bung Karno will be the final test to affirm the champion's mettle.

Sharpening the attack

“The pressure from Gelora Bung Karno is huge, but I am not afraid. U23 Indonesia is a strong team, with many quality players and home field advantage. However, U23 Vietnam is ready and will strive to win and defend the championship title.” This is the statement of striker Nguyen Dinh Bac during the training session in Jakarta of the U23 Vietnam team.

Dinh Bac scored 2 goals in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, not too high efficiency but enough to show stability every time he plays thanks to the "rotation" policy on the attack line of coach Kim Sang-sik. In fact, through 3 matches in the group stage and semi-finals, the Korean coach has made the most of the space to create opportunities for young players to be tested because the further goal behind U23 Vietnam is the 33rd SEA Games (Thailand). This is the focus of Vietnamese football this year.

Dinh Bac is also one of three names that the host country's media has paid special attention to before the final match at Gelora Bung Karno. The other two faces are Hieu Minh and Khuat Van Khang.

Playing as a center back, Hieu Minh has scored 2 goals with attacking situations. That is also a "weapon" of U23 Vietnam when the opponent plays tight defense, the way to the goal is blocked. Khuat Van Khang is experienced thanks to fighting in the V-League in the The Cong Viettel shirt. He was also named in the list of the Vietnam team that won the 2024 ASEAN Cup championship.

Vietnam U23's attack is expected to be sharper when facing Indonesia U23.

The U23 Vietnam attack, which has wasted many opportunities in the past 3 matches, is expected to become sharper when facing U23 Indonesia. In the last two training sessions, Mr. Kim Sang-sik has focused on "training" the strikers, in addition to asking the defense to play more focused, maintain team distance and cover better.

Indonesia will play hard

That was the prediction of a member of the coaching staff of the U23 Vietnam team when evaluating the opponent. After the semi-final, Mr. Kim Sang-sik showed the players the tape and analyzed the playing style of the U23 Indonesia team.

The home team has a dynamic, powerful and hard-hitting midfield. In the semi-final match between U23 Indonesia and U23 Thailand, the referee had to repeatedly issue warning cards to players from both sides after fierce disputes.

The burden may fall on Khuat Van Khang, as the midfield must play more cohesively and flexibly to ensure both attack and support defense from afar. U23 Indonesia is full of desire with the goal of winning the championship for the first time and right on home ground. For U23 Vietnam, it is the continuation of a new peak if they successfully defend the No. 1 position. That will be an important stepping stone for the race at the 33rd SEA Games at the end of the year in Thailand.

The U23 Vietnam players were warned to be mentally prepared for aggressive moves from their opponents. The home advantage will help U23 Indonesia easily deploy their game plan, even though the organizers plan to apply VAR technology for the final match. Therefore, U23 Vietnam needs to keep a cool head to ensure that no mistakes, no matter how small, occur.

The U23 Vietnam flank is also required to play solidly as both wings of the U23 Indonesia have fast players. The attacks of the U23 Indonesia are quite diverse, when needed, they can switch from defense to attack very quickly.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/chung-ket-u23-dong-nam-a-2025-phep-thu-chao-lua-gelora-bung-karno-post1764435.tpo