Timnas Indonesia opened their ASEAN Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory against Singapore at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, backed by a newly configured attacking trio deployed by head coach John Herdman. Ragnar Oratmangoen and Ole Romeny provided the goals on Friday night, securing three points to start Group A play.
New Attack Trio Features Romeny, Vickery, and Baker
For the first time under Herdman, Indonesia utilized an experimental front three featuring recent naturalization addition Luke Vickery on the wing, Mitchell Baker as the central striker, and Ole Romeny operating with positional freedom. The tactical shift yielded immediate dividends when Vickery delivered the assist for Oratmangoen’s opening goal, while Romeny converted a penalty kick later in the match.
Herdman expressed satisfaction with the forward line’s cohesion despite their limited preparation time together. According to the head coach, the combination of players stepping onto the pitch as a unit for the first time showed promising signs of collaboration.
“The players will only get sharper as we play more matches together. Luke Vickery played alongside Mitchell Baker for the first time. Ole also played with Mitchell and Luke for the first time,” he explained after the match. “There’s a lot of partnership that will develop throughout this tournament.”
Group A Standing and Tournament Outlook
Herdman added that the team should appreciate the hard work in the match, not just focus on the finishing aspect or shots on goal.
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