Indonesia achieved a major victory in their opening match at the Southeast Asian youth tournament, with the home hero revealing a touching story.

Indonesia started the 2026 Southeast Asian U17 Championship triumphantly by comfortably beating U17 Timor Leste 4-0. And for center-back Putu Ekayana—who netted two goals in this game—this was a heartfelt tribute he offered to his departed family members.

Young star of U17 Indonesia dedicates the victory to his late grandparents

On the Gelora Joko Samudro field (Gresik, East Java) on April 13th evening, the host team entered the match with high spirits and quickly dominated their opponent. Just in the 10th minute, center-back Putu Ekayana unexpectedly opened the scoring for U17 Indonesia with a precise shot after advancing forward. Only seven minutes later, the player wearing jersey number 4 completed his double, allowing the "Garuda Muda" to establish a safe lead early on.

The one-sided match continued as Ridho increased the score to 3-0 in the 37th minute, before Dava Yunna perfectly concluded the first half with the fourth goal. Moving into the second half, although still completely controlling the game, U17 Indonesia could not add more goals and accepted ending the match with a 4-0 score. Notably, this victory also mirrored the result that U17 Vietnam previously achieved against Malaysia, indicating the exciting competition in Group A.

The brightest star of the match was undoubtedly Putu Ekayana. Despite playing as a center-back, this 16-year-old player scored two goals, contributing greatly to his team's victory. But after the match, what he shared truly moved many people.

"This victory I want to dedicate to my family, because we haven't seen each other for a long time. And especially to my grandparents, who passed away long ago," Ekayana shared emotionally.

For Ekayana, family is the greatest source of motivation that helps him perform excellently. At such a young age, maintaining such focus and competitive spirit further demonstrates the great potential of this center-back.

Despite the heavy win, U17 Indonesia still has much work to do. According to Ekayana, the team needs to quickly improve its weaknesses if it aims for further goals, especially when facing two major challenges named Malaysia and Vietnam ahead.

"We must mature further. There are many things to learn and mistakes to correct," emphasized this player born in 2009. According to the schedule, U17 Indonesia will have three days off before entering their second match against U17 Malaysia on April 16th, also at Gelora Joko Samudro field. Afterwards, they will face U17 Vietnam—an opponent considered a strong contender for the top spot in the group.

The 4-0 victory not only gave U17 Indonesia a favorable start but also created an important psychological momentum for their tournament journey. And with promising young talents like Putu Ekayana, Ridho, Dava Yunna, the "Garuda Muda" is showing they are a formidable force in this year's regional competition.