Winning against Asia's 12th ranked team, Indonesian star attacks opponent

" It's a great feeling that we won against Bahrain. Before the match and during this match, there was a lot of talk about us from their team. What I can say is that they should be quiet because we showed what Indonesia is really like, " center-back Justin Hubner told CNN Indonesia.

The controversy between Indonesia and Bahrain started from the first leg. The Indonesian team was leading 2-1 and referee Ahmed Al-Kaf called for 3 minutes of extra time in the second half. Notably, Bahrain equalized 2-2 in the 9th minute of extra time. Indonesian fans were angry and criticized the referee and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Justin Hubner made a provocative statement.

For several days, the Indonesian and Bahraini media continued to exchange words. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) considered holding the match on a neutral ground. However, this idea was soon quashed.

In the rematch at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium last night (March 25), Justin Hubner and his teammates overwhelmed Bahrain from the very first minutes. In the middle of the first half, receiving a pass from Marselino Ferdinan, Ole Romeny scored a tricky goal to open the score for the Indonesian team. Unfortunately, coach Patrick Kluivert's students wasted many opportunities in the second half and only won by a minimum of 1-0.

However, they still have the right to hope as they are 4 points behind Australia in 2nd place, which has a direct ticket to the World Cup. The Indonesian team is only 1 point behind Saudi Arabia (3rd place). According to the rules, the 2 leading teams in the group will go to the World Cup, the 2 teams ranked 3rd and 4th will go to the 4th qualifying round.

Speaking about Indonesia's chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Justin Hubner said: " It won't be easy, but we'll give it our all. With the support of our fans, we'll get to the World Cup.

It's going to be tough to qualify for the World Cup but we'll do everything we can to achieve that ."

Mai Phuong

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/thang-doi-hang-12-chau-a-ngoi-sao-indonesia-cong-kich-doi-thu-ar933810.html