" After losing heavily to Japan and preparing to meet Saudi Arabia, the 26 players of the Indonesian team held a meeting. As the team leader, I did not know about this, and neither did head coach Shin Tae-yong ," Bola Indonesia quoted Kombes Sumardji, head of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI).
According to Mr. Kombes Sumardji, it was this secret meeting that helped the Indonesian team regain their spirit and have a very successful match against Saudi Arabia. In the first half, the Indonesian team opened the score with a classy shot by Marselino Ferdinan after a pass from Oratmangoen. In the second half, Verdonk assisted and Ferdinan still scored the winning goal, 2-0.
The Indonesian team won against Saudi Arabia.
“ The meeting was an initiative of the players. They confided in each other, from heart to heart, they wanted to review their solidarity and competitive spirit. Basically, the players understood that they had professional abilities. The Indonesian team understood that they needed to make more efforts and rise up. Whoever played against Saudi Arabia must be given maximum support. The determination and solidarity in the meeting helped Indonesia change strongly, ” the PSSI leader added.
The victory over Saudi Arabia helped the Indonesian team rise to third place in Group C of the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. Coach Shin Tae-yong and his team have 6 points, with a goal difference of -3. Australia has 7 points, ranking second, Japan has 16 points, ranking first in the group. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China all have 6 points.
According to the rules, the top two teams of the three groups will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The third and fourth teams in each group will enter the fourth qualifying round. In this round, the teams will play a round-robin, and the group winners will also qualify for the World Cup. The second-placed teams will play an additional home and away match to determine the team that will play in the intercontinental play-off to qualify for the World Cup.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/indonesian-player-hop-kin-khong-moi-hlv-shin-tae-yong-truoc-tran-thang-lich-su-ar908534.html
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