The team booked its place in the gold medal match against Thailand at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) with a pulsating 3-2 win over holder Vietnam.

Gold for Indonesia would be its first in men's SEA Games soccer, which is contested between under-23 teams.

Taufany Muslihuddin was Indonesia's semifinal hero, hitting a 96th-minute winner in Phnom Penh on Saturday.

Underlining what it means to Indonesian soccer after a turbulent seven months, Taufany collapsed face-down on the grass and shook with emotion, before his teammates piled on top of him.

When the final whistle blew, Indonesian players and officials celebrated wildly on the pitch.

After the win, which came despite having a man sent off on the hour mark, head coach Indra Syafri said the final was "the moment we've been waiting for to wake up Indonesian soccer".

Match-winner Taufany echoed that sentiment, noting the "momentum of recovery for Indonesia and the players".

Indonesia, which is ranked 149th in the world, has qualified for the expanded Asian Cup, which takes place in Qatar in January and February.

The last time the country contested the regional showpiece was in 2007 as cohost. 

Signs of success on the pitch come during a dark time for Indonesian soccer.

In October, 135 people were killed at a stadium in East Java when police fired tear gas, causing a stampede among spectators.

Tragedy was followed by ignominy when world governing body FIFA relocated the U-20 World Cup from Indonesia to Argentina because of opposition in the Muslim-majority nation to Israel's participation.

That meant Indonesia lost its automatic qualifying spot for the tournament.

Indonesia may have beaten SEA Games holder Vietnam and won all four group games with just one goal conceded, but it faces a stern test in the final at Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium. Seven-time winner Thailand eased past Myanmar in the semi-finals, winning 3-0.

Despite a fervent fan base, Indonesia, a country of 270 million people, has had little success in soccer.

It has qualified only once for the World Cup, in 1938, as the Dutch East Indies.

The game in the country has long been dogged by mismanagement, rickety infrastructure and violence in the stands.

A gold medal will not solve those endemic problems overnight, but coach Syafri said, "Hopefully this can serve as an encouragement, as a momentum for the Indonesian FA and Indonesian soccer."

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