Winning the ASEAN Championship may not be the goal but Shin Tae-Yong will still want more from Indonesia

Indonesia have other commitments to consider. Like their ongoing quest to seal what initially seemed unlikely qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Or the pressure that will be on them to retain the SEA Games gold medal they waited 32 years to win last time out.

With a whole host of Europe-based stars unavailable for selection and the domestic Liga 1 still ongoing, Shin decided to look to the future.

Even then, it is likely that he would not be completely pleased with what he has witnessed from their opening two Group B matches, especially after a narrow 1-0 win over Myanmar was followed by Thursday's shock 3-3 draw at home to Laos.

Laos, who have only avoided defeat in eight of the 45 games they have played at the tournament, entered the match at Manahan Stadium as huge underdogs.

Yet, in a stunning start to what was ultimately a remarkable encounter with four goals flying in inside the opening 18 minutes, Laos completely stunned the hosts by taking the lead twice and demanding a response for their more-illustrious opponents.

Leading the line all on his own, Bounphachan Bounkong was at the heart of it all, threading a clever through-pass for Phousoumboun Panyavong to open the scoring after nine minutes and laid on another assist for Phatthana Phommathep four minutes later -- this time after a lovely piece of skill to deftly get past Kadek Arel before waiting for just the right moment to release his teammate.

For all the strides they have made in recent times, it was back to basics for Indonesia as they looked to regain their footing -- good old direct football.

Of course, it would be foolish not to use it if someone like Pratama Arhan is loitering around when the ball goes out by the sidelines.

Indonesia's first equaliser came in the 12th minute when, with Marselino Ferdinan probing down the left, Laos failed to fully clear their lines and the ball eventually fell for Kadek, who had originally gone up for an Arhan long throw, to lash into the far corner.

In the 18th minute, Arhan again proved to be a real weapon as another of his hand-delivered missiles into the box had Laos goalkeeper Keo-Oudone Souvannasangso completely flapping and paved the way for Muhammad Ferarri to glance a header into the back of an unguarded net.

After the early frenzy, it was always going to be impossible for the tempo to be maintained and the game did eventually calm down although Laos constantly looked a threat on the counter despite Indonesia dominating possession -- with Bounphachan really putting on a display.

On the contrary, Indonesia's own ace in the pack would have an evening to forget.

While his lack of first-team football at Oxford United has seen him relegated to the bench for much of Indonesia's Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, Marselino did produce a star turn from the start in their final outing of the year against Saudi Arabia last month.

Nonetheless, the absence of regular game-time is really showing now.

As one of the more-experienced players in the current squad despite his tender years, and given his undeniable talent, Marselino really should be pulling the strings at the tournament.

Instead, he hasn't exactly set the stage alight and two rash challenges would see him sent off in the 69th minute, which will hugely frustrate Shin given he will now be without his talisman for the next game -- a crucial clash with fellow Group B favourites Vietnam.