Indonesia beat Thailand on penalties to win inaugural FIFA Asean Cup in Jakarta
Indonesia defeated Thailand in a penalty shootout to claim the inaugural FIFA Asean Cup in Jakarta on Saturday, prevailing 4-2 after a 2-2 draw following 120 minutes in front of 70,000 spectators.
The eight-team competition was launched by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and concluded alongside a separate Asean Challenge Cup; the latter finished in Hong Kong where the hosts beat Cambodia 2-0. Infantino’s recent visits across the region included inaugurating new headquarters in Macau, signing an agreement in Mongolia to build a national stadium and opening a FIFA Arena mini-pitch in Uzbekistan, and Asian federations remain divided over his leadership.
The Asean Cup final finished 2-2 after extra time and Indonesia won the shootout 4-2; the match featured English coaches John Herdman for Indonesia and Anthony Hudson for Thailand, with Herdman’s side emerging victorious. The tournament’s main event drew a large crowd for the final even though many earlier fixtures displayed empty seats and organisers did not release overall attendance figures.
Indonesia’s route to the knockout stages was decided dramatically in their four-team group. With India having declined an invitation and replaced by Bangladesh, hosts Indonesia needed to outscore Malaysia by one goal in the final round of group matches after Malaysia beat Singapore 6-0; Indonesia were 7-2 up heading into added time and scored in the 96th and 97th minutes to win 9-2 and advance.
The other group, staged in Bandung about 70 miles south-east of Jakarta, was less volatile, with Thailand finishing top with a game to spare. Broadcasters were slow to commit to the new competition, several invited nations declined to take part and Thailand did not sign up, watching the final on FIFA channels instead.
China and India had been invited; both declined—India chose friendlies against Brazil, Panama and Uruguay, while China subsequently lost 5-0 to Palestine on home soil. The tournament’s timing during the international window allowed nations to select full-strength squads because European-based players were available.
Infantino faced mixed receptions across the two finals: in Hong Kong he was greeted with chants of "Fifa Mafia", while two days later in Jakarta the atmosphere was more positive as the hosts won the main event. The tournament’s organisers granted Indonesia the hosting rights for the principal competition.
The article notes that a key measure of the Asean Cup’s lasting significance may be political: Infantino may judge the event’s success by whether it bolsters his chances of remaining in office, and the continuation of the Asean Cup in south-east Asia could depend on that outcome.
