Indonesia Reach Semifinals, Souto Calls for Improvement

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia has secured a place in the semifinals of the 2026 ASEAN Futsal Championship in Thailand, but head coach Hector Souto insists the team still has room to grow. For the Spanish tactician, victories are not just about result, but are also opportunities to refine and elevate performance.

The national futsal squad booked their ticket to the last four after back-to-back wins in Group B: a commanding 7-0 triumph over Brunei Darussalam on Monday, April 6, 2026, followed by a narrow 1-0 victory against Malaysia on Tuesday, April 7. Guntur Sulistyo Aribowo’s strike early in the second half proved decisive in Nonthaburi.

Despite the success, Souto highlighted shortcomings in his team’s play. “Today we couldn’t control the game in certain situations. We struggled at times and missed chances from set pieces and positional attacks,” he said, as quoted by Antara.

He also noted that player cohesion was lacking, attributing it partly to fatigue from consecutive matches.

The coach expressed frustration over a late scare when Malaysia nearly equalized, only to see their effort bounce off the post. “With 38 seconds left, we had possession but chose to shoot, handing the ball back to the opponent. These are professional league players; they should be able to manage the game until the final whistle,” Souto emphasized.

Indonesia now faces Australia in their final group match on Wednesday, April 8 at 12:30 p.m. Jakarta time. The clash will decide the Group B winner, with Australia currently ahead on goal difference after a 13-1 rout of Brunei. Souto hopes the encounter will serve as a valuable rehearsal before the knockout rounds begin Friday, April 10.

“We have one more match to improve, not just to win, but to develop. The next three games are excellent opportunities to strengthen our style of play,” he said. Closing the interview, Souto attempted a few words in Indonesian: “I’m happy, good result, we won. We tried to play well, but sometimes not. Malaysia played many long balls. We tried 100 percent, but sometimes finishing and passing were not good.” ***