Indonesia’s Under-23 national team begins its quest for a repeat gold medal at the SEA Games 2025 with a familiar opponent: the Philippines. the highly anticipated match, scheduled for Monday, december 8th, will kick off the tournament for Indonesia, mirroring their triumphant 2023 campaign where they ultimately took home the top prize. Head coach Indra Sjafri has retained key players from that victorious team as they aim to once again prove their dominance in regional football.
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Indonesia’s Under-23 national team will kick off their SEA Games 2025 campaign against the Philippines in their opening match. The contest against the Philippines marks the beginning of a journey for the Indonesian squad hoping to replicate their gold medal success from two years ago.
Head coach Indra Sjafri may experience a sense of déjà vu when his Indonesia U-23 team faces the Philippines on Monday, December 8th.
Two years prior, Indra led the Indonesian U-23 team to a historic gold medal in the tournament’s football competition. Their first match of the SEA Games 2023 was, fittingly, against the Philippines.
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Back in 2023, at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Rizky Ridho and his teammates secured a dominant 3-0 victory over the Philippines’ young squad.
Despite early struggles to break down the Filipino defense, Marselino Ferdinan proved to be the key, finding the back of the net just before halftime.
The Indonesians continued to press after the break, but a penalty attempt by Rizky Ridho was initially saved by the Philippines’ goalkeeper.
However, Indonesia ultimately sealed the win with two late goals. Irfan Jauhari scored in the 90th minute, and Fajar Faturrachman added a stunning goal in the second minute of stoppage time to complete the 3-0 scoreline.
In addition to coach Indra, two players from that victorious 2023 team – Ananda Raehan and Muhammad Ferarri – have been included in the squad for this year’s tournament.
Now, two years after their encounter in Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines will meet again, this time in Thailand.
Indonesia will open their campaign against the Philippines on Monday, December 8th. The Philippines, meanwhile, have already begun their tournament, having faced Myanmar earlier today, Friday, December 5th.
(nva/jal)
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