Indonesia's Garuda Squad successfully defeated Vietnam in the fourth match of Group F in the Second Round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian Zone at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, on Tuesday (March 26). With a final score of 3-0 against Vietnam, this victory marked the end of a 20-year curse where Indonesia had never won a match while playing in Vietnam.
The last match where Indonesia managed to beat Vietnam away was on December 11, 2004, in the AFF Cup 2004. In that match, Indonesia scored three goals through Mauly Lessi, Ilham Jaya Kesuma, and Boaz Solossa. Since then, Indonesia has faced Vietnam 16 times but has never secured a victory in Hanoi.
In Tuesday's match, the significant contribution to Indonesia's victory in Hanoi came from two newly naturalized players, Thom Haye and Ragnar Oratmangoen.
Jay Idzes opened the scoring for Indonesia in the ninth minute after receiving a corner kick from Thom Haye. Meanwhile, Ragnar Oratmangoen added the second goal with a free-kick in the 23rd minute. The winning goal for Indonesia was scored by Ramadhan Sananta in the 97th minute.
This victory strengthened the Garuda Squad's position in second place in Group F standings with a total of seven points, while Vietnam remained in third place with three points. This result provided crucial momentum for Indonesia as they face the remaining two matches in the second round.
Next, Indonesia will face Iraq on June 6 and the Philippines on June 11 in the final matches of the Asian Zone qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Under the guidance of Shin Tae-yong, the team only needs one more victory to secure their place in the third round.
End for Troussier in Vietnam
On the other hand, Vietnam's defeat to Indonesia prompted the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and coach Phillipe Troussier to end their collaboration. Yesterday's defeat to Indonesia marked the end of disappointing results for the Vietnam national team under Troussier's leadership.
In a statement published on the VFF's official website, it was mentioned that the VFF or LDBDVN, along with head coach Philippe Troussier, had reached an agreement to terminate their contract starting March 26, 2024.
Troussier expressed his gratitude to the players, clubs, LDBDVN, and fans for their support. Additionally, he apologized to the fans for the team's performance falling short of expectations.
Phillipe Troussier began his tenure as the coach of the Vietnam national team in March 2023, replacing Park Hang-seo. During this period, the French coach led 14 matches, with four wins and ten losses.
