Indonesian national soccer team player Marselino Ferdinan celebrates his second goal for Indonesia by sitting on the official's chair during the 2026 World Cup Asian third round qualifier matcha against Saudi Arabia at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta on Nov 19, 2024. Indonesia won 2-0 over Saudi. - Photo: Antara
JAKARTA: Indonesia is still in the running for a spot in the World Cup after an upset 2-0 victory over Asian giant Saudi Arabia at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Main Stadium in Jakarta on Tuesday (Nov 19), just four days after suffering a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Japan at the same venue.
Despite the mighty comeback, there is no room for complacency, as the journey to the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026 is far from over.
Following the remarkable showing, Indonesia, with a total of six points from one win, two draws and two losses, has moved up from the bottom to the third place of the Asia Zone Group C, behind unbeaten Japan and Australia.
With Japan almost certainly qualifying, the race for the two other automatic tickets to the World Cup is wide open, as China, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have also collected six points, with four games to go.
Indonesia will host Bahrain and China and play away matches against Australia and Japan next year, with a realistic chance of winning the two remaining home matches.
Some, however, believe Indonesia can secure a point or even three against Australia on March 20 of next year, if the team can maintain the performance that brought about its historic victory on Tuesday.
There have been attempts to disrupt Indonesia’s focus, especially the controversy over Bahrain’s request to world soccer governing body FIFA and its Asian arm AFC that the country’s away match against Indonesia on March 25, 2025, be relocated to a neutral country for safety reasons.
Bahrain is worried about an unfriendly welcome in Jakarta after seeing Indonesian supporters venting their anger on social media following the controversial 2-2 draw between the two teams in Bahrain on Oct. 10.
Bahrain scored an equaliser three minutes after the injury time was over, denying Indonesia a win it deserved.
Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) chairman Erick Thohir said he had written to FIFA to ask it to allow Indonesia to host the match at GBK.
We agree with Erick’s argument; given that the matches against Japan and Saudi Arabia in the 100,000-seat stadium went off without a hitch, Bahrain should have no concerns about its team’s safety.
It is possible that Indonesia will finish fourth in the group with nine points, which means it will have to play in the fourth-round qualifier against the teams from Group A and Group B of the Asian zone that also finished third or fourth.
The teams in the fourth round will be split into two groups of three and play their matches at a neutral venue.
Indonesia will secure a berth to the World Cup if it finishes first in the group.
But finishing second in the fourth round is not the end of the road either, although that means Indonesia will have to play a fifth-round playoff at home and away against a team from another confederation to achieve its World Cup dreams.
Such a long path will require consistency in physical fitness and a determination to win, both of which the Indonesian team has shown while taking on strong teams such as Saudi Arabia, the only team that beat eventual champion Argentina in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Saudi Arabia is now home to one of the most attractive soccer leagues in the world, especially after the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now leading Portugal to yet another appearance in the World Cup finals.
The strength of the Indonesian national team seems to lie in the drive to achieve and sense of unity that South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong has managed to instill in his lads, many of whom are competing in the European leagues.
Indonesian fans hope the whole team, from the starting lineup to substitutes on the bench, will maintain that spirit for the remaining matches. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
