Needing a victory to advance to the semifinal stage of the regional tournament, Indonesia only managed to secure a draw in its final Group A match against Singapore on Friday.

Heading to the match at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore, Indonesia sat in third place of Group A, with six points from two wins against Cambodia and Timor-Leste and a defeat from Vietnam. Meanwhile, Singapore was second with seven points.

Indonesia went in front early into the second half, with winger Thom Haye’s pass to the path of midfielder Dony Pamungkas on the left. Dony’s cutback was later slotted home past Singapore’s goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud by winger Ragnar Oratmangoen at the 47th minute.

But Singapore levelled the scoreline 19 minutes later. A lofted ball into Indonesia’s penalty area caused panic between Indonesia’s defender Rizky Ridho and goalkeeper Cahya Supriadi. The ball eventually ended at the feet of Singapore’s attacker Ilhan Fandi, who poked a first-time effort into the empty net.

With the exit, Indonesia has to wait for at least another two years before chasing its first ASEAN trophy. 

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