Indonesia shock Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifier

Indonesia grounds an upset against Saudi Arabia with their archetypal triumph successful the radical signifier of the AFC World Cup qualifiers.

Indonesia person shocked Saudi Arabia with a 2-0 triumph successful Jakarta successful Group C of the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

A extremity successful each fractional from Marselino Ferdinan, who plays for Oxford United successful England’s 2nd tier, nailed down a triumph connected Tuesday for the Southeast Asian nation, which past appeared astatine the World Cup successful 1938 arsenic the Dutch East Indies.

It was Indonesia’s archetypal triumph successful the past of their information successful the 3rd circular of qualification and moves them level connected points with their Arab opponents and China.

“I americium truthful arrogant of my squad and the country,” goalkeeper Maarten Paes said. “Marselino scored 2 large goals, and we defended truthful well. We knew that this was an important game, and to get a win, that gives america truthful overmuch confidence. It is truthful adjacent successful our group.”

The crippled became fractious precocious connected with the location broadside reduced to 10 men erstwhile Justin Hubner was shown a 2nd yellowish paper for an off-the-ball incidental portion Saudi Arabia rattled the barroom done Mohamed Kanno.

“Indonesia deserved to triumph this game,” Saudi manager Herve Renard said. “We person 4 games left, and it volition beryllium tough, but it volition beryllium pugnacious for everybody.”

Indonesia’s Marselino Ferdinan scores their 2nd extremity arsenic Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Ahmed Al Kassar tin lone look backmost and ticker [Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters]

Japan are wrong touching region of an eighth successive World Cup quality aft beating China 3-1 to enactment the squad 10 points wide astatine the apical of Group C.

The Samurai Blue person 16 points from six games with 4 to spell successful Group C. Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and China each person six points, arsenic does Australia, which could determination 3 points wide successful 2nd with a triumph astatine last-placed Bahrain connected Tuesday.

Despite beating China 7-0 astatine location successful September, it took Japan 39 minutes to interruption the deadlock successful Xiamen with a Koki Ogawa header. Ko Itakura added a 2nd earlier halftime.

Home fans grew hopeful erstwhile Lin Liangming pulled a extremity backmost aboriginal successful the 2nd half, but Ogawa headed location his 2nd and Japan’s 3rd soon after.

In Group A, Uzbekistan took a large measurement towards a archetypal World Cup quality aft edging North Korea 1-0. The Uzbeks took the points with a first-half onslaught from Abbosbek Fayzullaev though Jong Il Gwon missed a precocious punishment for the Koreans, who are playing their location games successful Laos.

The apical 2 from each of the 3 groups of six advancement automatically to the World Cup portion the six teams who decorativeness 3rd and 4th volition beforehand to the adjacent signifier of qualification.

Source

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies