"Iraq played well," coach Shin Tae Yong admitted after the Indonesian team lost 1-5 to Iraq in the opening match of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup on the evening of November 16.
Coach Shin Tae Yong did not hide his disappointment when his home team Indonesia lost heavily to Iraq in the opening match of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup (Photo: CNN Indonesia).
This is the first defeat for the South Korean strategist since Indonesia lost 0-2 to Argentina in a friendly match in June. Meanwhile, the last time the Indonesian team lost in an official tournament was against the Vietnamese team in the AFF Cup semi-finals in January.
Notably, the 1-5 loss to Iraq was coach Shin Tae Yong's biggest defeat as Indonesia's captain.
"I think this is a heavy defeat and I congratulate Iraq for playing well. We will try to play better in the next home match," coach Shin Tae Yong said in disappointment at the post-match press conference.
Indonesia conceded a goal to striker Bashar Resan in the 19th minute. The lead was then doubled through an own goal by Jordi Amat in the 35th minute. Striker Shayne Pattinama's goal in injury time in the first half gave Indonesia hope, but Iraq then scored three goals in the second half through Osamah Jabbar, Youssef Amyn and Ali Ibrahim.
Indonesia (red shirt) fell to the bottom of Group F after losing 1-5 to Iraq (Photo: CNN Indonesia).
Coach Shin Tae Yong admitted that everything collapsed after Iraq's third goal. He shared: "Iraq's third goal destroyed our plan. The whole team attacked in the hope of equalizing 2-2 but then Iraq poured cold water on them. The Indonesian players tried to recover but failed."
Besides, the Korean strategist promised to get revenge on Iraq: "We suffered a heavy defeat but the players showed the spirit of not giving up. Indonesia really wants to get revenge on Iraq in the second leg at home. The whole team needs to be confident because the fans will be there."
Speaking about the next match with the Philippines, coach Shin Tae Yong shared: "Tiredness is inevitable after a long journey. We have little time to practice together. The players came to Iraq in different batches. I hope we can make positive changes in the next match."
This defeat caused Indonesia to fall to the bottom of Group F, after Vietnam had won 2-0 against the Philippines in the previous match. Despite the heavy defeat, Indonesia still set a target in the remaining 5 matches in Group F to compete for a ticket to the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
On November 21, Indonesia will host the Philippines at home while Vietnam will also return to My Dinh Stadium to face Iraq in the second match of Group F.
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