Southeast Asian fans send congratulations after Vietnam's victory over Indonesia

Southeast Asian supporters expressed their reactions after the third-place playoff match of the Southeast Asian U16 Women's Championship between U16 Vietnam and U16 Indonesia that took place this afternoon.

Facing Indonesia in a passionate away crowd, the U16 Vietnamese women's team started confidently and quickly scored the opening goal in the 3rd minute thanks to a precise shot by Ngọc Ánh. However, the home team equalized at 1-1 in the 15th minute through Nafeeza's goal. The tight contest lasted the full 90 minutes, forcing both teams into a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.

From the penalty spot, the girls in red showed remarkable composure, calmly defeating Indonesia 7-6 to claim third place overall. After the match, coach Akira Okiyama expressed his pride: "Despite the pressure of playing away, the players maintained their spirit, fought confidently, and demonstrated great resilience. This valuable experience will help them grow."

Right after U16 Vietnam's victory, Southeast Asian football social media saw many lively reactions. Numerous Indonesian fans showed respect and sent congratulations to Vietnam.

Fan Thyo Bagas Putra commented: “Southeast Asian women's football is gradually improving thanks to the AFF tournament. Hopefully, teams in the region will continue to develop to reach higher levels in Asia and worldwide.”.

Aung Myo Khaing from Myanmar also sent a message: “Congratulations to Vietnam from Myanmar!”

Meanwhile, Febry Arsha, an Indonesian fan, admitted: “Losing to Vietnam in women's football is still common for now… They will grow even stronger. Congratulations to Vietnam!”

Sharing the same view, Zaka Arsyada said: “Managing to hold Vietnam to a draw in 90 minutes is already a big achievement.”

According to plans, the entire team will return to Vietnam on August 30, rest during the National Day holiday on September 2, then regroup to prepare for training in Germany. This will be an important step before the 2026 AFC U17 Women's Championship qualifiers, scheduled for October in Bình Dương.

The bronze medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian U16 Women's Championship is not only a well-deserved reward for the efforts of coach Akira Okiyama and his team but also a strong motivation for Vietnamese women's youth football to continue developing and aim for higher goals on the continental stage.