Dony Tri Pamungkas Becomes Vanenburg’s Main Choice in Defense

According to ASEAN Cup U-23 2025 matches, coach Gerald Vanenburg continues to experiment with various defensive combinations for Indonesia U-23 national team. Dony Tri Pamungkas remains the only defender to appear in both Group A matches.

Vanenburg’s four-defender scheme underwent significant changes — from the match against Brunei Darussalam to facing the Philippines. In the first match, the defensive quartet consisted of:

• Achmad Maulana Syarif
• Muhammad Ferarri
• Brandon Scheunemann
• Dony Tri Pamungkas

Against the Philippines, three of the four starting defenders were replaced — with a new formation featuring Alfharezzi Buffon, Kadek Arel, Kakang Rudianto, and Dony Tri Pamungkas.

Persija Jakarta’s wonderkid, Dony Tri Pamungkas — who maintained his position as left-back, demonstrated his quality through speed and ball control that poses a threat to Southeast Asian teams.