Indonesian fans reacted surprisingly when their team lost to U.23 Vietnam, not 'angry' at all

Although the home team lost to U.23 Vietnam in the final match, many Indonesian football fans still unexpectedly sent congratulations to their opponents, saying that coach Kim Sang-sik and his team completely deserved the championship.

The final match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship between U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Indonesia took place on the evening of July 29, attracting great attention from football fans in the region. In this match, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team won the final match with a score of 1-0, thanks to the only goal scored by Nguyen Cong Phuong in the first half. Thereby, U.23 Vietnam won the regional tournament for the third consecutive time, after 2022 and 2023.

On Facebook, major football fan pages simultaneously updated the match progress and results. Among them, the ASEAN Football page stands out, a common forum for Southeast Asian football fans with nearly 600,000 followers. Immediately after U.23 Vietnam won and was crowned, related posts on this fan page attracted thousands of interactions, hundreds of shares and countless comments from users from many countries in the region.

"U.23 Vietnam deserves to be the champion"

Most of them were bursts of celebration from Vietnamese fans. Comments praised the solid, sharp and brave performance of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team, especially the effectiveness in their defensive and counter-attacking style of play.

U.23 Vietnam sets new record, with 3 consecutive Southeast Asian championships

PHOTO: NGUYEN KHANG

However, the surprise came from Indonesian fans. Despite losing the important match, many fans of the archipelago still showed good sportsmanship . Many frankly admitted: "Congratulations Vietnam, you deserve to win!" or "The Vietnamese team's tactics are really effective. Your Korean coach did a great job."

Another account even expressed respect: "Ignore the tense moments between the two teams, because that is common in football. Sending sincere congratulations from Indonesia." "Even though we lost, the Indonesian team is still the champion in my heart. Keep up the spirit. And once again, congratulations to Vietnam," one account wrote.

The match ended with victory and the championship for U.23 Vietnam, but the subsequent spread on social networks opened up a new, more positive image of the cheering culture among Southeast Asian fans. In particular, the congratulations from the enthusiastic Indonesian fans sent to U.23 Vietnam were a surprising and valuable highlight.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cdv-indonesia-phan-ung-bat-ngo-khi-doi-nha-thua-u23-viet-nam-khong-cay-cu-chut-nao-185250729233746422.htm