Is the World Cup still beyond the reach of Southeast Asian football?

Before the match, coach Shin Tae-yong and the Indonesian players were very confident that they would take all 3 points. Because after 3 draws against 3 very strong teams in Group C, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bahrain, coach Shin Tae-yong and his players believed that they were capable of defeating the Chinese team, which was facing too much instability after 3 consecutive losses and ranked last in the group. Moreover, with a squad of 9-10 players naturalized from the Netherlands, fans of this country also believed that the Indonesian team was approaching the level of the top teams in the continent.

Indonesia (2) team could not find victory against China

But the reality is not as Indonesians wish, because the third World Cup qualifier is the most accurate measure of the level of football teams in Asia. Remember, even in the Asian Cup, the competition and harshness cannot be compared to this playground. Here, the teams will exert all their strength to find a ticket to participate in the most important festival of world football that only occurs once every 4 years.

The situation of Indonesia this year, two other Southeast Asian teams, Thailand and Vietnam, have experienced in 2017 and 2021. If in the third qualifying round of the 2018 World Cup, Thailand only earned 2 points (2 draws and 8 losses), ranking last in the table, then coach Park Hang-seo and his team were a little better when they earned 4 points (1 win, 1 draw and 8 losses) but still ranked last in the table.

Therefore, despite having a squad of naturalized players playing for clubs in Europe such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy... but if they want to achieve good results in the remaining matches of Group C, the Indonesian team will not easily find victory against the top teams in the continent. Remember, the last 2 matches this year are the real obstacles for the team from the archipelago, when on November 15 they will face the "mountain" Japan at home and on November 19 they will meet Saudi Arabia also at home. In 2025, on March 20 they will meet Australia away. If all 3 matches do not gain any points, it will be very difficult for coach Shin Tae-yong and his team to reach the second place in the group to win a direct ticket to the final round. Perhaps their current goal is to try to win the wild card (3rd and 4th place in the group) to compete for the remaining 2 tickets to the fourth qualifying round.

Perhaps the "shortcut" approach of Indonesian football will bring certain successes, such as when facing teams in the Southeast Asian region, but when entering the continental arena, achieving immediate success is not easy at all.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/san-choi-world-cup-van-qua-tam-voi-bong-da-dong-nam-a-185241016214617323.htm