Indonesia host Thailand in the first FIFA ASEAN Cup final at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Monday, 5 October, with kick-off at 8pm local time (9pm SGT). The ASEAN Football Federation confirmed the pairing on Friday night, after Thailand held on to top Group B despite a 2-1 defeat by the Philippines in Bandung.
How Indonesia got here
The hosts opened with a 2-0 win over Singapore, Ragnar Oratmangoen scoring in the 15th minute and Ole Romeny adding the second in the 74th. They then played most of a goalless draw with Malaysia with ten men after Thom Haye was sent off in the 37th minute for a hard challenge on Arif Aiman Hanapi.
That left Indonesia needing goals on the last night of the group, and they scored nine. Mitchell Lee Baker struck five times in a 9-2 rout of Bangladesh on 1 October, with Rizky Ridho, Justin Hubner, Luke Vickery and Kevin Diks also on the scoresheet. Indonesia and Malaysia both finished on seven points with a goal difference of nine, and the hosts went through on 11 goals scored to Malaysia’s nine.
Thailand’s route through Group B
Thailand won their first two games without conceding. Teerasak Poeiphimai scored twice in a 4-0 win over Pakistan, then Sarach Yooyen and Chaiyaphon Otton scored in the 2-0 win over Vietnam that put Thailand in control of the group.
Defeat by the Philippines on Friday cost them nothing in the standings. Bjorn Kristensen scored in the third minute and again in the 68th, either side of an equaliser from Buriram United winger Iklas Sanron. Vietnam also finished on six points after beating Pakistan 4-2, but Thailand had beaten them and had the better goal difference.
Monday’s double-header
Malaysia meet Vietnam in the third-place match at the same stadium earlier on Monday, kicking off at 4pm local time (5pm SGT). Singapore went out in the group stage, finishing third in Group A after a 1-0 win over Bangladesh and defeats by Indonesia and Malaysia, the last of them 6-0 in Bandung on 1 October.
