Coach Patrick Kluivert: 'The Indonesian team fought like lions'

Coach Patrick Kluivert praised the fighting spirit of Indonesian players despite the defeat against Australia - Photo: Reuters

In the post-match press conference, coach Patrick Kluivert (Indonesia) said: "We no longer played our style when we were pressured by the opponent. Throughout the match, we fought like lions. We never bowed our heads. Unfortunately, the defeat was too heavy. I am very disappointed with this result."

After the crushing defeat to Australia, coach Patrick Kluivert was fiercely attacked by Indonesian fans on social media.

Many people have started a campaign demanding that the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) fire coach Patrick Kluivert and bring back coach Shin Tae Yong.

Coach Kluivert said he understood how everyone felt, but would focus on helping the Indonesian team return. Indonesia will now focus on the match against Bahrain at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on March 25. This is where they must win to keep their hopes of competing for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup alive.

"We have to look back at what happened in this match. Then we have to get up quickly and move forward. We have to work hard because the match is very important against Bahrain," he added.

Indonesia is currently ranked 4th in Group C with 6 points (goal difference -7), 3 points behind 3rd place Saudi Arabia and 4 points behind 2nd place Australia. Meanwhile, below them are Bahrain (6 points, -7) and China (6 points, -11).

Indonesia’s most realistic immediate goal is to maintain fourth place to compete for a place in the play-off round. In the remaining three matches, Indonesia will face Bahrain on March 25, China (June 5) and Japan (June 10).

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