What Happens to Patrick Kluivert After Failing to Lead Indonesia to the World Cup?

Results of the match between Indonesia and Iraq

After suffering a 2-3 defeat to Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualification for the Asian zone, the situation for the "Garuda" squad has become far from ideal. They faced Iraq on Sunday (12/10/2025) early morning WIB in a "do-or-die" match filled with mental pressure. Indonesia failed to advance to the fifth round after being narrowly defeated by Iraq with a score of 0-1.

The pressure to achieve victory, coupled with a poor record against the "Lions of Mesopotamia," is undermining the players' mentality. The Garuda team is still haunted by the trauma of a dismal record, which includes three consecutive defeats to Iraq from November 2023 to June 2024.

Indonesia breathes a sigh of relief with the return of Calvin Verdonk and Ole Romeny to face Iraq. The presence of Verdonk, who was absent when Indonesia was defeated by Japan and Australia, ensures a solid defense and smooth transitions in gameplay. Romeny has proven his role in the match against Saudi Arabia and his ability to create dangerous opportunities.

The head coach of the Indonesian national team, Patrick Kluivert, has fielded a significantly different lineup compared to when Indonesia faced Saudi Arabia. In the match against Iraq, Kluivert included Eliano Reijnders and placed great trust in the young player Mauro Zijlstra in the forward position.

The defensive wing was then entrusted to Dean James on the left and Kevin Diks on the right. Jay Idzes and Rizky Ridho, a proven effective defensive duo in previous matches, supported the defense in the central sector. Verdonk was immediately included in the starting lineup, while Romeny became a substitute.

Results of the match between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia

Indonesia had to acknowledge the superiority of the host, Saudi Arabia, with a score of 2-3 in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualification match at King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday (9/10/2025) early morning WIB. As a result of this defeat, Indonesia's ambition to secure a ticket to the World Cup has become increasingly difficult.

Indonesia needs a win in the second match against Iraq to open up a chance of qualifying or advancing to the fifth round.

Facing the onslaught of the host nation, Indonesia initially took the lead through a penalty goal by Kevin Diks in the 11th minute. The penalty was awarded by referee Ahmed Al-Ali following a video assistant referee (VAR) review regarding a possible handball by Hassan Al-Tambakti.

In the replay, Jay Idzes' header striking Al-Tambakti's hand is clearly visible, prompting the referee to immediately point to the penalty spot. Diks, who was assigned to execute the penalty, successfully fulfilled his duty by defeating goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi.

The host team that was trailing attempted to confine the defense of Indonesia, commanded by Idzes. It did not take long for Saudi Arabia to equalize just six minutes after conceding a surprising goal from Diks.

Why was the match against Iraq anticlimactic?

The reality does not align with the hopes of the Indonesian national team. The dream of reaching the World Cup for the first time did not materialize in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Two matches in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers resulted in defeats against Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

The "Garuda" squad is the team that has undergone the longest qualification process for the 2026 World Cup. Indonesia has been competing for the 23rd edition of the World Cup since October 12, 2023. Specifically, Indonesia started from the first round to face Brunei Darussalam.

In total, Indonesia has played 20 matches in order to qualify for the World Cup next year. This is the largest number of matches for a team in the history of the Asian World Cup qualifiers.

For two years of struggle, Indonesia has also recorded the highest number of players in history. There were 47 players who represented the national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The two-year journey ended in tears and anger after Indonesia fell 0-1 to Iraq on Sunday (12/10/2025 WIB) at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The solitary goal from Iraqi midfielder Zidane Iqbal dashed the dreams of approximately 280 million Indonesian citizens to see the Garuda squad compete in the biggest football tournament.

Are Patrick Kluivert's tactics problematic?

The coach of the Indonesian national team, Patrick Kluivert, seems to be providing a blind map to the national football public. In his seventh match managing the "Garuda" squad, the Dutch tactician is still guessing the best approach and player lineup.

The situation has caused Maarten Paes and his teammates to struggle in finding their best performance following the change of head coach from Shin Tae-yong to Kluivert. This was evident in the first match of Group B in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The national team coached by Kluivert suffered a 2-3 defeat against Saudi Arabia on Thursday (9/10/2025) early morning WIB. The match at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, demonstrated that Kluivert consistently applied different tactics in three away matches leading up to the 2026 World Cup.

However, the final result was similar. Indonesia suffered a defeat with a significant score margin. Five goals were scored by Australia, followed by Japan who managed to net six times, and Saudi Arabia produced three goals. In fact, the "Green Falcons," as Saudi Arabia is called, could only create one goal in two matches during the third round in 2024.

Kluivert deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation that transformed into a 4-4-1-1 during defensive situations. This change from a 3-4-3 formation indicates Kluivert's focus on winning duels in the midfield with three midfielders, as well as his desire for a stronger wing presence with the inclusion of two players on each side.

What will happen to coach Patrick Kluivert after the fourth qualifying round?

Jeddah in Arabic is translated as 'grandmother'. The name refers to the legend of the presence of the tomb of Eve, the first woman on Earth. In that old city, the Indonesian national team seems to be taught by "the grandmother" that there is still much improvement needed to break into the World Cup.

Not only the "Garuda" squad, Coach Patrick Kluivert has once again been made aware of a valuable reality. His game plan and tactical decisions are still far from the quality needed to compete at the elite level in Asia.

Indonesia suffered a 2-3 defeat to Saudi Arabia in the first match of Group B of the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Thursday (9/10/2025) early morning WIB, at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah.

Indonesia was only able to score through the penalty spot via the execution of center-back Kevin Diks in the 11th and 88th minutes. Saudi Arabia scored three goals thanks to a powerful shot from Saleh Aboulshamat in the 17th minute, followed by a brace or two goals from center forward Feras al-Buraikan (62' and 36').

Inhabited by 16 naturalized players, trained by a Dutch-owned academy system, out of 23 players on the roster, Indonesia still failed to avoid defeat at home against Saudi Arabia.