HLV U17 Indonesia: 'The players performed correctly but only drew with Vietnam'

After U17 Indonesia officially stopped at the group stage of the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 tournament, coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto made notable statements, frankly taking responsibility for the team's unsuccessful result.

In the final match of Group A, U17 Indonesia drew 0-0 with U17 Vietnam at Gelora Delta Sidoarjo stadium on April 19th. Despite great effort, this result was insufficient for "Garuda Muda" to qualify for the semifinals. Ultimately, the representative from the archipelago only earned 4 points after 3 matches, ranking third and being eliminated.

Immediately after the match, coach Kurniawan spoke up to take responsibility for the team's failure. He shared: "We could only draw and could not reach the semifinals. Personally, I am responsible for this team, I apologize for the unsatisfactory result."

Despite disappointment with the result, the strategist born in 1976 still praised the fighting spirit of his players. Kurniawan added: "However, I must acknowledge the players' efforts. They fought wholeheartedly and executed exactly what we planned.."

According to the coaching staff's assessment, U17 Indonesia implemented the tactics correctly in this crucial match. However, the issue lay in finishing, he admitted: "We tried to play defensive counter-attack but when attacking we were not sufficiently effective. This will need reevaluation in the coming period, aiming toward the Asian championship.."

Not being able to advance to the semifinals was a shock for Indonesian youth football, especially since they started quite well with a 4-0 victory over U17 Timor Leste. However, the 0-1 loss to U17 Malaysia in the second match made the Group A situation unfavorable, forcing them to win against U17 Vietnam in the final match, which they could not achieve.

According to tournament regulations, only the top three group winners and the best second-place team qualify for the semifinals. Therefore, finishing only third caused U17 Indonesia to bid farewell to the tournament early.

After the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 tournament, coach Kurniawan and his players will not have much rest. The team needs to quickly shift focus to the next target, the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals, scheduled to take place in May.