Viet Nam lost to Indonesia 2-0 in the semi-final match of the 26th ongoing Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia on Saturday, and will meet Myanmar for the third-place playoff match today.

Indonesia will now meet defending champions and arch-rival Malaysia, who defeated Myanmar 1-0 in the other semi-final match, in the final.

The host Indonesia on Saturday attacked from the first minutes of the match, but they failed to score any early goals because of Viet Nam's strong defence.

While Vietnamese defenders still had a few errors, goalkeeper Buu Ngoc played an outstanding match and stopped the ball twice in the 18th and 24th minute. He suffered a head injury after colliding with a rival player but quickly recovered and returned to the field.

As soon as play resumed, Viet Nam began to put the pressure on Indonesia by changing their tactics from defence to offence. They created a dangerous situation in Indonesia's restricted area but no goal was scored.

Heavy rain fell during the second half which only seemed to give the Indonesian team more spirit.

The hosts opened the score in the 61st minute from a free kick on the right side. Vietnamese goalkeeper Ngoc managed to swipe at the ball with a dive but the ball slipped through his hand and went into the left corner.

With a one point lead the Indonesian players seemed to slow down in their game which was used by the Vietnamese players to step up their attacks.

However, Indonesia doubled the score in the 88th minute with a shot by Titus Bonai. The ball hit a Vietnamese defender and diverted straight into the goal.

After the match, Viet Nam's coach Falko Goets said, "It was a very difficult match. My footballers suffered a great deal of pressure from the hosts' fans. We had several chances to score goals but we failed. My players made many errors which were key reasons for our lack of success. We chose counter attack tactics to limit the hosts' strength but both defenders and strikers made errors."

"The U-23 team sustained defeat but this result is not entirely negative. I think that my players learned a lot for the next SEA Games. Ahead of us we have the bronze medal match where we will have to fight to beat Myanmar," Goets said.

Indonesian coach Rahmad Darmawan said that his players carried out the training board's tactics well and that it was a very successful match for the team. He said he believed Indonesia would play well in the final and take the title.

Indonesian forward Bonai, who struck the winning shot in his side's 2-0 semi-final win over Viet Nam, said the hosts would have to be on their guard against a dangerous Malaysia side in the final.

VNS