Indonesian Football Star: 'Facing Vietnam is a chance to settle the SEA Games 33 score'

Indonesia's futsal national team player, Samuel Eko, confirmed that the team’s goal is to secure victory over Vietnam in the AFC Futsal 2026 quarterfinals, as well as to "avenge" their loss at SEA Games 33.

The opponent of Vietnam Futsal in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship is Indonesia, the team leading Group A with consistent performance and a clear home advantage. Ahead of this match, Samuel Eko — who scored Indonesia’s only goal in the 1-1 draw against Iraq in the final Group A match — has fired up the team for the game against Vietnam.

“We definitely want to win to settle the score from the SEA Games. Plus, playing at home means we have to win,” Samuel said in a mixed zone interview after the match.

The player also shared about his personal improvement after playing his second match in the tournament. He mentioned feeling better compared to the previous game. “In this second match, I feel I played better than before,” Samuel stated.

Beyond his technical comments, Samuel expressed his admiration for the passionate atmosphere in the stands. He acknowledged that the large crowd’s support is a great motivation for the Garuda team. In the match against Iraq, 10,076 spectators filled the Indonesia Arena.

“I am very proud to play in front of tens of thousands of fans. I hope that when we face Vietnam next, the crowd will be even bigger, so we can all be more excited,” Samuel said.

Indonesia finished the group stage of the Asian Futsal Championship undefeated, with 2 wins and 1 draw, rightfully securing the top spot in Group A. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s futsal team ended up second in Group B. Although unable to compete for the top spot against Thailand, the team still achieved their goal of qualifying for the quarterfinals.

Indonesia, the tournament host and currently ranked 24th in the world, faces Vietnam, ranked 20th on the FIFA rankings. The ranking gap is small, but Indonesia’s home advantage and rapid progress make this matchup a real challenge.

The Indonesian players’ determination is even stronger when recalling their defeat to Vietnam at the recent SEA Games 33. Although they impressively won the men’s futsal gold medal with a 6-1 victory over hosts Thailand in the last match, the loss to Vietnam left a scar, making Indonesia’s championship journey incomplete.

The 0-1 loss to Vietnam caused by the sole goal from Từ Minh Quang prevented Indonesia from finishing SEA Games 33 with an undefeated record as hoped. Many players from that match will continue to play in the upcoming game. Therefore, Eko and his teammates are very determined ahead of the match against Vietnam.

According to the schedule, Indonesia will face Vietnam in the quarterfinals on February 3rd at Indonesia Arena, Jakarta.