Dutch-infused Indonesia beat Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifiers | OneFootball

Indonesia made good progress in the Asian World Cup qualifiers as they beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium.

The Dutch-tinged Indonesia team started strongly and came very close to the opening goal within a minute, as Oxford United midfielder Marselino Ferdinan hit the post.

After half an hour of play, Ferdinan gave Indonesia a deserved lead, as a well-executed attack down the left flank ended with the 20-year-old firing superbly into the far top corner.

After the break, Ragnar Oratmangoen came close to scoring the second Indonesian goal, but the header from the former Fortuna Sittard player was saved well by Saudi goalkeeper Ahmed Al Kassar.

The second goal came just ten minutes after the break. A rush from NEC Nijmegen full-back Calvin Verdonk ended up at the feet of Marselino, who then lobbed the goalkeeper with aplomb, ultimately determining the final score.

A small blemish on the festivities was the injury to Almere City midfielder Thom Haye halfway through the second half. Former SC Heerenveen player Nathan Tjoe-A-On emerged as his replacement.

Another negative was Den Bosch-born Justin Hubner receiving his second yellow card in the final minutes. It means he is suspended for the away match against Australia scheduled for March. With this victory, Indonesia move to third place in Group C with four games to go.

Japan still lead the way with sixteen points from six games. Furthermore, at the time of writing China, Saudi Arabia, and Australia are all on six points. Australia has played one game less, just like Bahrain, who are last with five points.

Third-place still offers a chance of a ticket for the 2026 World Cup via play-offs, while the top two in the group qualify directly.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield