Following a regretful semifinal defeat against Malaysia on penalties, Miguel Rodrigo’s side headed into the third-place playoff with strong determination to avoid an empty-handed tournament.
Dang Anh Tai marked a step towards converting that ambition into reality, opening the scoring for Vietnam after only a few minutes.
However, Tai’s attempt was promptly cancelled out three minutes before the break as Andri Kustiawan finished off goalie Van Y from close range.
Pressure mounted on the Vietnamese players as Faidasa took it to 2-1 for Indonesia in a counterattack situation early in the second half.
Rodrigo’s side intensified attacks seeking to restore the parity, only to see their hopes extinguished by Rasyid, who put the game to bed with an eye-catching freekick at 31 minutes.
Later the same day, Thailand made light work of Malaysia with a score of 4-2 to claim the overall championship trophy and affirm their reign in Southeast Asia.
