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Kluivert vows response after nightmare start to Indonesia reign
The visitors were punished for missing an early penalty in Sydney as Australia ran out 5-1 winners on Thursday to inch towards qualification for the tournament next year in North America.
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Indonesia's head coach Patrick Kluivert looks on prior to the World Cup 2026 Asian qualifier football match between Australia and Indonesia in Sydney on March 20, 2025. (AFP/Saeed Khan)
P
atrick Kluivert vowed his side will show a reaction in next week's vital home World Cup qualifier against Bahrain after the Dutch great endured a nightmare start as Indonesia coach.
The visitors were punished for missing an early penalty in Sydney as Australia ran out 5-1 winners on Thursday to inch towards qualification for the tournament next year in North America.
Japan top Group C and have qualified, with Australia currently second on 10 points, with three matches to play. The top two go straight to the World Cup.
Saudi Arabia have nine points and Indonesia, Bahrain and China are all on six, and still in contention.
Teams finishing third and fourth in the three Asian qualifying groups go into a further round of qualifying.
Netherlands and Barcelona great Kluivert, who replaced the sacked Shin Tae-yong in January, said his men must regroup quickly for the clash on Tuesday in Jakarta.
"The positive is that we kept on going and the spirit of the team will always be there," Kluivert, whose side pulled back a consolation through Ole Romeny on 78 minutes, told reporters.
"You guys don't see the spirit... what we have in the team. We will react absolutely against Bahrain.
"But now we have to digest first the defeat and look at each other what somebody did wrong, also me, maybe I did something wrong."
Kluivert felt the outcome might have been different had Kevin Diks' eighth-minute spot-kick gone in instead of hitting the post.
"It's very easy to point your finger and I don't like to point fingers," said Kluivert, who was one of the most feared strikers of his generation but has not scaled the same heights as a coach.
"In the beginning we dominated the game. If the penalty was going in, it was a totally different game. I'm confident about this."
