There are no easy matchups at the 18th Asian Games for the Indonesian women’s soccer team, which was re-established five months ago after a long hiatus. Strong squads such as Japan, South Korea and China are favored over the newly reborn Indonesian side.

The team’s victory over the Maldives on Thursday, however, has brought hope to the country’s prospects in soccer. Had Indonesia trained properly, there is a case to be made that it could have been on par with or at least competitive with its regional counterparts in Thailand and Vietnam, teams that are considered just below the aforementioned trio of powerhouses in terms of overall strength.

Indonesia convincingly defeated the Maldives 6-0 in a Group A match on Thursday at Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang, South Sumatra.

Indonesia coach Mohamed Athif said some of his players had only ever played futsal. Despite the team’s inexperience and lack of year-round training, its performance was enough to beat the Maldives, which had four years to prepare.

“This is history in the making because this is the first time we won,” Indonesia midfielder Zahra Muzdalifah said after Thursday’s match.

Indonesia struggled in its previous matches, highlighting concerns over whether it would be able to advance to the knockout stage from a group that consists of the Maldives and stronger teams in Chinese Taipei and South Korea.

“I think Chinese Taipei and South Korea are good teams. My strategy is to retreat for the counterattack,” Indonesia head coach Satia Bagda Ijatna said, referring to the game plan for its next matches.

In July, Indonesia lost 6-0 to Thailand at the 2018 ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championship. In May, it suffered a humiliating 13-0 defeat against Vietnam in a friendly ahead of the Asian Games.

Satia said Indonesia today might be far below Thailand and Vietnam, two countries he referred to as Southeast Asia’s “monsters” in women’s soccer, but such was not the case in the 1990s when Indonesia fielded strong sides.

He recalled that, at the 1997 Southeast Asian Games, Indonesia made it to the semifinals before losing 2-0.

“Thailand has now improved significantly,” Satia said, reflecting on Thailand’s progress since the 1990s. “[The victory over the Maldives] should be an eye-opener for all stakeholders that our team also has prospects.”

Thailand, a top-five team alongside China, Australia, Japan and South Korea, has qualified for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

“I have overseen the women’s team since 1997 so I know about [Thailand’s progress],” Satia said.

He blamed the long hiatus as the reason why the women’s national team lagged behind other countries, including Thailand and Vietnam. He said the Asian Games were an opportunity to improve the team.

A strong showing, however, would not be enough. The team comprises a mix of athletes from different ball sports, including futsal, meaning the country does not have a fixed national squad.

“We even had no idea about the strength of the Maldives,” Satia said, adding that the team had assessed the opponent based on Maulina Novryliani and Rani Mulyasari, former futsal players who competed in the Maldives.

When asked about the challenges Indonesia faced in developing women’s soccer, Satia responded with a sigh, saying, “Even recruiting new talents is a challenge.”

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