Indonesia coach John Herdman took the blame for his side’s 3-0 ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 loss to Vietnam in Bogor on Monday and admitted he needed to make rapid improvements ahead of their final Group A match against Singapore.
The home side were caught out twice in the opening 15 minutes as the defending champions took a two-goal lead through Nguyễn Văn Vĩ and Nguyễn Hai Long before completing a comprehensive win when Nguyễn Xuân Son scored a late third goal.
“Indonesia is a difficult place for any team to visit and win, so credit to them,” Herdman said of the Vietnamese. “They earned the three points tonight. We have to accept responsibility for what happened because our performance was not good enough.
“Tactically, Vietnam were better, and as a coach, I have to learn quickly. Our next match against Singapore is approaching very quickly, so we have to lose, learn and move forward. We will be frustrated and angry for a short period, but we now have to refocus the team.”
The result leaves Indonesia in third place in the standings, one point behind new leaders Vietnam, with Singapore also on seven points in second. That means Indonesia must secure all three points against Gavin Lee’s side in Singapore to advance to the semi-finals.
“We are still in the fight, and our supporters are still in it with us,” said Herdman, whom together with his players addressed the home fans after the defeat. We will travel to Singapore with a very clear mindset: we have to win the match.
“This is group-stage football. It is not the situation we wanted, but it is the situation we have been given, and we will approach the next game with everything we have.
“I would also like to apologise to the supporters tonight. They were absolutely amazing and stayed with us until the end.”
Vietnam coach Kim Sang-sik was pleased with his players’ reaction to a lacklustre goalless draw with Singapore in their previous Group A match as the Golden Star Warriors strengthened their claim to a place in the next phase. The three-times champions started the match with captain Nguyễn Quang Hải and Xuân Son, who was the 2024 Most Valuable Player and top scorer, on the bench but prevailed with some wonderful football.
“It was a very difficult away match,” said Kim, whose side play Cambodia on Friday. “However, the players performed very well, gave their best and secured the three points, so I am delighted. I would like to thank the players for their dedication.
“We still have another match to play, so we must manage the players’ condition carefully and prepare well for the next game.
“We were disappointed that we were unable to defeat Singapore. As the match progressed, Indonesia’s stamina and physical condition began to decline.
“Our substitutions also worked very well, while the movement and quality shown by the other players were excellent. Overall, I was very pleased with the performance.”
Share now
