Gerald Vanenburg Remains Cautious Despite U-23 Team’s Massive Win

Indonesia U-23 national team kicked off their ASEAN Cup U-23 2025 campaign with a commanding 8-0 victory over Brunei Darussalam at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta.

Jens Raven emerged as the star performer with a double hat-trick — six goals in minutes 2, 9, 31, 33, 41 (penalty), and 62. The other two goals were contributed by Arkhan Fikri (minute 20) and Rayhan Hannan (minute 35).

Despite the massive win, coach Gerald Vanenburg expressed concerns about the quality gap between starting players and substitutes. The team’s performance declined after five substitutions in the second half.

“We must not underestimate Malaysia and Philippines in upcoming matches — they are different teams with better quality,” stated Vanenburg.