Football in the Southeast Asian region has soared to new heights in the continental scene owing to a string of positive results by the participating nations during the ongoing 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar.
This sudden wave of resurgence helped bridge the gap between the underdogs and the celebrated elite, such as Japan and South Korea, teams that are synonymous with Asian football royalty.
During the FIFA World Cup 2022, also in Qatar, the world was stunned with a few shocks no bigger than Saudi Arabia’s giant-killing scalp in an infamous 2-1 win against eventual winners Argentina in the group stage; as well as Japan’s triumphs against Germany and Spain.
Pointing to this evidence further illustrates the substantial progress in Asian football and how nations commonly used to a heavy defeat can overcome any doubt or fear to challenge against the world’s leading teams.
Perhaps inspired by the success stories of their Asian counterparts, Indonesia made history in the Asian Cup after advancing to the knock-out stage for the first time since their maiden appearance in 1996.
As one of the best third-placed teams in the group stage, they had to wait for qualification to the next phase, which was confirmed following a draw between Kyrgyzstan and Oman in Group ‘F’.
The Garudas’ passage to the next round, who were joined by fellow Southeast Asian rival Thailand, highlighted the interest of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) countries to secure a deep run in one of the biggest stages in football.
In a competition normally dominated by the Gulf or Far East countries, and more recently by Australia- it is a breath of fresh air to witness what Southeast Asian football can offer.
In the opening Group ‘D’ match, Vietnam may have lost 2-4 against one of the pre-tournament favourites Japan but the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story.
During the entertaining encounter and a potentially Asian Cup classic, the Southeast Asian side instantly fought back after surrendering the lead through Takumi Minamino’s effort in the 11th minute.
The Golden Star Warriors levelled the score as the unsupervised Nguyen Dinh Bac cleverly headed home from the near post just five minutes later.
Coached by Philippe Troussier – the same man who guided the Blue Samurai to Asian Cup glory in 2000 – Vietnam shocked their opponents with a surprise lead in the 33rd minute after Pham Tuan Hai tapped home from an unmissable range.
Despite Japan winning in the end, the threat and the footballing style Vietnam is trying to showcase should be appreciated.
And while Malaysia may have finished at the bottom of their group, their 3-3 draw against tournament giants South Korea was a highlight as the 107th ranked team in the world almost toppled the 23rd.
At the final group game at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, the Malayan Tigers led the match 2-1 six minutes into the second half, after Muhammad Faisal bin Abdul Halim capitalised on uncertain defending by South Korea and squeezed in a shot from a tight angle. They took the lead all the way to the 83rd minute when South Korea’s Lee Kang-in’s free kick went in off the crossbar, and were faced with defeat after Son Heung-min scored a penalty during injury time.
However, substitute Romel Morales, with essentially the last kick of the game 15 minutes into stoppage time, equalised, and the match ended in a shocking draw that saw South Korea knocked out of first place.
Even though the region’s interest in the tournament ended following Thailand’s 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan in the last-16 and with Indonesia also succumbing to a 4-0 loss to Australia – the encouraging performances from the teams is a reason for optimism of the future. – Fadhil Yunus
