The long-awaited Southeast Asian Games Men's Soccer Final kicked off on schedule, with the crowd's attention focused on two unexpected teams - Indonesia U22 and the much-anticipated Thailand U22. After 30 minutes of extra time, Indonesia easily won the title with a score of 5-2, a stunning turnaround of the tournament.
In the semifinals, Indonesia created a huge upset. Facing the defending champions, Vietnam, they were at a numerical disadvantage, but they accomplished a comeback at the last minute, defeating Vietnam 3-2, ending Vietnam's dream of defending the title in advance. Their opponent, Thailand, as a traditional powerhouse in Southeast Asia, is not to be underestimated, even China has suffered a lot in front of this team.
However, the drama of the final was far more twisted than expected. Despite Thailand's clear possession advantage, Indonesia broke the deadlock first, taking a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute. Before the end of the first half, Indonesia added another goal to extend the lead to 2-0, taking full control of the game. In the second half, a trailing Thailand mounted a frantic comeback but did not get a goal back until the 65th minute.
However, just when Indonesia thought victory was in sight, fate played a joke on them. In extra time, Thailand launched a long attack from a free kick and Yotsakor got away from the defense to score, sending the game into extra time with a 2-2 scoreline.
In overtime, Thailand made one mistake after another, with three players sent off and eight players in a slump. Indonesia, on the other hand, scored consecutive goals with a great performance and finally won the gold with a 2-5 victory over Thailand.
With this win, the Indonesian soccer team has shown the world its fast-rising strength. Although previously unknown in the Asian soccer world, but with the youth team's growth and progress, they will become a force to be reckoned with in the Asian soccer world. At that time, if the Chinese team wants to beat them again, I am afraid that they will face a tough battle.
