AFF U-19 2026: Despite claiming a 3-0 victory against Timor Leste, Indonesia failed to overtake Vietnam in the standings.

Indonesia U-19 secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Timor Leste in the ongoing Group A fixtures of the AFF U-19 Cup otherwise known as the 2026 ASEAN Boys Championship. Despite successfully claiming all three points, this result is not yet sufficient for Garuda Muda to overtake Vietnam from the top position of Group A Standings. 

Indonesia sits in second place, trailing Vietnam on goal difference after Vietnam previously crushed Myanmar 5-0 in their earlier match.

Hosted at North Sumatra Main Stadium, Deli Serdang on Thursday evening, the squad coached by Nova Arianto played aggressively, relying on fast tempo gameplay and high pressing.

However, multiple goalscoring opportunities created by Garuda Muda failed to be converted, as the pitch had become slippery due to rainfall. 

Indonesia's attacking runs were repeatedly disrupted by imperfect ball control and inaccurate passing.

Indonesia finally broke the deadlock just before half-time. In the 42nd minute, Reno Salampessy latched onto a through pass before firing a powerful shot into Timor Leste's goal. Indonesia held a 1-0 lead at the end of the first half.

Indonesia grew in confidence entering the second half. Their sustained pressure paid off in the 61st minute, when Irfan Siregar doubled the advantage after capitalising on a chaotic scramble inside the Timor Leste penalty area.

The 2-0 lead did not cause the home side to relax their pressure. Just three minutes later, Arkhan Kaka also added his name to the scoresheet. 

Arkhan's 64th minute goal sealed Indonesia's final 3-0 victory, marking Garuda Muda's second consecutive win in the group stage.

Despite the win, Indonesia were unable to displace Vietnam from the top of the group standings. Earlier, Vietnam had beaten Myanmar 5-0 with goals from Tan Rung Le, C Hau Huange, Van Bach Nguyen, Khang Hoang, and T Phu Nguyen.

These three additional points put Vietnam top of Group A with 6 points and a +8 goal difference. Indonesia remains in second place on the same number of points, but only holds a +5 goal difference.

Timor Leste and Myanmar occupy third and fourth place in the standings respectively, with 0 points from two matches played.

Indonesia and Vietnam are scheduled to face each other on Sunday 7 June, in a fixture that will decide the group winners and runners-up. The three group winners alongside the single best overall runner-up will qualify for the semi-final round.

Vietnam only require a Draw to finish as group winners. Conversely, Indonesia must secure a full win to guarantee their semi-final spot, without needing to rely on results from other group runners-up.