Indonesia secured their place by defeating China 1-0 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Thursday. On the same day, Saudi Arabia beat Bahrain 2-0.
This victory brought Indonesia’s total to 12 points, placing them fourth in the group, while Saudi Arabia sits in third with 13 points. These two teams can no longer be overtaken by Bahrain (6 points) and China (6 points), who are fifth and sixth respectively.
“The Indonesian National Team’s win over China, combined with Saudi Arabia’s victory against Bahrain, ensured our progression to Round 4 in the Asian Zone,” Thohir wrote on his Instagram account on Friday.
Indonesia’s winning goal against China was scored by Ole Romeny from a penalty in the 45th minute. This was Romeny’s third goal in his three appearances with the team.
Besides thanking Romeny, Thohir also expressed his gratitude to all players, coaches, team officials, and supporters for the achievement.
“Thank you to all the coaches, players, officials, and of course, the supporters who have fought wholeheartedly for Indonesia. This is not the time to be complacent; we still have to fight to qualify for the World Cup,” he said.
With one match remaining, Indonesia can still finish in third place as they trail Saudi Arabia by just one point.
Indonesia’s final match is against group leaders Japan at Suita Stadium on June 10. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will face Australia at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.
Saudi Arabia still has a chance to qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, currently trailing second-placed Australia by three points.
However, Australia is favored to qualify due to their superior goal difference of +8.
For Saudi Arabia to qualify directly, they would need to beat Australia by at least nine goals.
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Translator: Zaro Ezza S, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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