Vietnam entered the match at a physical disadvantage. Since the beginning of the tournament, the team has played 5 matches, 1 more than Indonesia. In the last 2 matches, Vietnam lost a lot of energy when they beat Thailand 3-2 in the final round of the group stage and then came back to beat Australia 5-4 after extra time in the semi-finals.
Before the final, coach Diego Giustozzi warned his players about the danger of striker Evan Soumilena, and this was evident right from the start of the match. Soumilena made things difficult for Vietnam by pressing, turning his back and then turning or releasing the ball to score dangerously.
Indonesia also had goalkeeper Ahmad Habiebie push up to coordinate or make a surprise shot. In the 8th minute, the Indonesian goalkeeper shot from the middle of the field to the left corner, forcing his colleague Pham Van Tu to dive and push the ball away for a corner kick.
Immediately after, from Rio Pangestu’s pass, Samuel Eko cleverly dropped the ball for Guntur Ariwibowo to shoot at the right post, where Muhammad Syaifullah was waiting to tap the ball into the net to open the score.
After that, Vietnam had many difficulties in attacking, when Indonesia closely followed and played fiercely without fear of committing fouls. The score almost doubled when Chau Doan Phat lost the ball twice in the 13th minute, but the opponent could not take advantage.
In the second half, Indonesia still played better. Evan Soulimena almost scored after a twist and a fake shot to fool two Vietnamese players, but the shot was blocked by Pham Van Tu with his foot.
From then on, Vietnam pressed well and created more scoring opportunities. In the 27th minute, Thinh Phat almost missed the post. A minute later, Dinh Cong Vien dribbled the ball past a player and passed it across, allowing Ngoc Anh to place a low shot in an open position but Habiebie caught it.
In the 35th minute, Chau Doan Phat made a good cross, but Thinh Phat at the far post could not beat Habiebie. The power-play strategy brought opportunities in the 37th minute, but Nhan Gia Hung and Manh Dung’s two shots could not get past the Indonesian goalkeeper.
The tactic of pushing the goalkeeper up to attack left the goal unguarded. And in the 39th minute when Vietnam lost the ball, Muhammad Xavier finished from home, sealing the 2-0 victory.
Indonesia won the Southeast Asian Futsal Championship for the second time. Meanwhile, Vietnam finished second for the third time, after 2009 and 2012.
TB (tổng hợp)