U23 Thailand and Indonesia unexpectedly collapsed in a series of international friendlies

(NLDO) - Ahead of the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, Southeast Asian youth teams are entering an important preparation phase with international friendly matches.

Southeast Asian youth teams are actively testing their squads through a series of international friendly matches. Previously, U23 Vietnam lost 0-1 to U23 Qatar on the evening of October 9 in the UAE, and U23 Thailand and U23 Indonesia also received results that were not as expected.

On the evening of October 10, U23 Thailand faced U23 China. The "War Elephants" started confidently when they opened the score early, but let their opponents come back and lost 1-3 overall. This result shows that coach Issara Sritaro and his team still have many problems to overcome if they want to go deep in the upcoming continental tournament.

In another match, U23 Indonesia, with a squad consisting of many players who participated in the ASEAN Cup 2024, also suffered a 1-2 defeat against U23 India. Despite actively attacking, coach Indra Sjafri’s team conceded two goals in the 5th and 26th minutes, before scoring a consolation goal in the 41st minute.

Notably, Indonesia summoned 32 players for this training session, including 4 naturalized players and many faces playing abroad such as Ivar Jenner and Adrian Wibowo, and players who played for the national team in the ASEAN Cup 2024 with former coach Shin Tae-yong.

At the SEA Games, the last time U23 Thailand won a gold medal was in 2017. In the last three games, U23 Vietnam and U23 Indonesia took turns winning the title, showing the change in power of regional football.

The 33rd SEA Games will take place from December 9 to 20, 2025 in Bangkok, Chon Buri and Songkhla, with 50 medal sports and 3 demonstration sports.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/u23-thai-lan-va-indonesia-bat-ngo-guc-nga-o-loat-giao-huu-quoc-te-196251011073255719.htm