JAKARTA (18 July 2025) – Indonesia closed in on a place in the semi-finals of the ASEAN U-23 Mandiri Cup™ 2025 on Friday with a 1-0 win over Group A rivals the Philippines at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium as Malaysia reignited their prospects with a comfortable 7-1 victory against Brunei.
An own goal by Philippines defender Jaime Rosquillo midway through the first half earned Gerald Vanenburg’s side their second win of the competition after defeating Brunei 8-0 on Tuesday to take the hosts onto six points, three clear of their nearest challengers.
Malaysia’s win saw them pull level with the Philippines on three points with one round of group matches remaining. Only the group winners are guaranteed to advance while the runners-up with the best record across the three groups will also progress.
Indonesia had twice threatened before going ahead midway through the first half, Robi Darwis’ long throw towards the six-yard box being met by the head of Philippines defender Rosquillo, as he glanced the ball into his own net off the underside of the crossbar.
Malaysia, meanwhile, bounced back from their opening loss to the Philippines to hand Brunei a comprehensive defeat in the day’s opening game.
Two goals inside the opening four minutes, the first from Danish Syamer Tajuddin and the second an own goal by Nazry Aiman, sent the Malaysians on their way to victory and their first three points of the campaign.
Haykal Danish Hazon added the third in the 31st minute with a composed finish and Haqimi Azim Rosli slammed in his first of the evening three minutes before the interval.
Malaysia’s frontline unlocked the Brunei defence again with a little over 21 minutes remaining when Danish Hakimi Sahaludin stroked his left-foot shot beyond the reach of Khairul Hisyam Norihwan.
Brunei’s Haziq Naqiuddin reduced the deficit in the 74th minute when he swept a shot past Zulhilmi Sharani, but Fergus Tierney scored Malaysia’s sixth two minutes later and Haqimi rolled in his second of the night with a minute remaining to put the seal on the win.
Indonesia will go into their final group match against Malaysia on Monday knowing a draw will be enough to take them into the last four while the Philippines meet Brunei looking to add to the three points they picked up in their opening 2-0 win over the Malaysians.
The winners of the Mandiri Player of the Match awards for today’s games are:
Brunei v Malaysia: Haqimi Azim Rosli (#7), Malaysia
Philippines v Indonesia: Nico Guimarães (#1), Philippines
Group A will conclude on Monday, 21 July with Indonesia taking on Malaysia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, and the Philippines and Brunei meeting at Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium in Bekasi. Both games will kick off simultaneously at 8.00pm local time.
Matches will be played in the other two groups on Saturday, 19 July. Defending champions Vietnam will face Laos in their Group B opener at Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium at 5.00pm, while Thailand meet Timor-Leste in Group C at the same venue at 8.00pm.
The winners of each of the three groups plus the second-placed team with the best record at the end of the group stage will progress to the semi-finals on 25 July. The timing for the first semi-final has been changed with the match kicking off one hour earlier than originally scheduled at 4.00pm, while the kick-off for the second semi-final remains at 8.00pm.
Both semi-finals will be played at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, which will also host the third-place match on 28 July and the final on 29 July.
For more information about the ASEAN U-23 Mandiri Cup™ 2025 and other ASEAN United FC events, visit https://aseanutdfc.com/ and @aseanutdfc on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, X and LinkedIn.
