Indonesia Women's Futsal Coach Reflects on 4-4 Draw Against Malaysia

The coach of the Indonesian women’s futsal team, Luis Estrella, has identified several factors behind the 4-4 scoreline against Malaysia in Group A of the 2026 AFF Futsal Championship (ASEAN Women’s Futsal Championship 2026) in Thailand on Wednesday (25/2/2026).

Luis Estrella cited physical issues, the adaptation process, and a lack of alertness in reading the opponent’s changing strategy as the reasons for the Indonesian women’s futsal team’s result.

According to Estrella, Indonesia performed quite well at the start of the match and managed to control the game. However, the situation changed when Malaysia started playing direct and increased the pressure.

“Some of our players didn’t keep up with their opponents, so we conceded three goals,” said Estrella in a press conference, as reported by ANTARA.

These goals forced Indonesia to work hard to catch up and maintain the rhythm of the game until the end.

“In the second half, I spoke with the team, and we made tactical adjustments. I think we played the second half very well. Calmly, we were able to take a 4-3 lead,” said the Spanish coach.

Indonesia had a lead and was in a safe position. However, luck was not on their side.

“Then, we were unlucky… yesterday against Thailand, the first goal came from two rebounds. And today, the 4-4 goal came from a shot by a player that hit a Malaysian player and went in,” he said.

The equaliser from Malaysia meant the match ended without a winner.

“We have five players who were ill for a few days last week and have not fully recovered physically. We were also the last team to arrive in Thailand, about 36 hours ago. So, our physical adaptation was not good enough,” he said.

In addition, the squad is dominated by young players. Some of them are experiencing their first experience at the regional tournament level.

“Today we played with a 17-year-old player, with Nizrina (Fauziah Permana) making her second appearance, along with Riska (Aprilia),” he said.

This draw means that the Indonesian women’s futsal team’s chances of reaching the semi-finals still depend on the results of other matches between Malaysia and Thailand.

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