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Defeat to China dents Indonesia’s World Cup dreams
The 2-1 defeat against China on Tuesday put Indonesia in fifth place of the third round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Group C qualifiers with three points.
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Chinese player Yuning Zhang (left) celebrates after scoring China's second goal against Indonesia with Indonesia's goalkeeper Maarten Paes (right) during the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification soccer match between China and Indonesia at the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium in China on Oct. 15, 2024. (Reuters/Florence Lo)
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2-1 defeat against China in the third round of the World Cup Asian qualifier has put a dent in Indonesia’s hopes of competing in the world’s biggest soccer tournament for the first time in nearly a century.
Indonesia scored a goal four minutes before the end of normal time in the match held at the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium in Qingdao, China, on Tuesday evening. But it was not enough to secure a win against China, which scored two goals in the first half.
For Tuesday’s game, Indonesia’s head coach Shin Tae-yong made four changes to Indonesia’s starting XI, as reported by Antara.
Defenders Shayne Pattynama and Asnawi Mangkualam, as well as midfielders Nathan Tjoe-A-On and Witan Sulaeman played from the first minute. They replaced defender Jordi Amat who suffered from an injury during a game against Bahrain on Thursday, and Sandy Walsh, Thom Haye and Malik Risaldi.
China, which relied on set pieces and fast-paced counter attacks, scored the first goal in the 21st minute.
Defender Jay tried to secure a ball from a China set-piece, but Jiang Shenglong squeezed and cut the ball back to teammate Behram Abduweli. The Uyghur striker volleyed the ball home from close range into Indonesian goalkeeper Maarten Paes’ goal.
Indonesia tried to force its way back into the tie with several efforts, including midfielder Ivar Jenner’s long-range effort during the 35th minute.
