Indonesian U-23 national team coach Gerald Vanenburg said the match against the Philippines in the second Group A match of the ASEAN U-23 Championship at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium was important to win.
"I think it's more important how we play. If we fail, we'll be eliminated and we won't be able to play in this tournament (ASEAN U-23 2025)," Vanenburg told the media as he was about to lead the U-23 national team's training session at Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium on Thursday.
Indonesia and the Philippines were the teams that both won their first match, with Indonesia beating Brunei Darussalam 8-0 and the Philippines beating Malaysia 2-0.
When asked about the Philippines' strength, he said that Garrath McPherson's team was not much different in quality from Indonesia or Malaysia.
"I've always known the Philippines has good young players, and so does Malaysia. There's not much of a gap between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. So, we know that, and we have to show that we're better. It's going to be difficult, but we'll try," he explained.
