Beating China 1-0, Indonesia Advances to Fourth Round of 2026 World Cup Qualifiers

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesia's success in securing a full point after defeating China, 1-0, in Jakarta on Thursday (5/6/2025), ensured that Indonesia advanced to the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Indonesia's winning goal was scored by Ole Romeny from the penalty spot in the final minute of the first half.

Indonesia sealed its ticket to the fourth round even though Bahrain could still match Indonesia's score. However, Indonesia is superior in head to head with Bahrain.

Only the top two teams qualify directly for the World Cup, while the third and fourth places are entitled to advance to the fourth round to compete again for tickets to the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The Garuda team is confirmed to have to fight again in the fourth round after, in the previous match, Australia managed to defeat Japan, 1-0. With this result, it is no longer possible for Patrick Kluivert's squad to seize the second position as the point difference is now four with only one match remaining.

Australia is almost certain to secure a ticket to the 2026 World Cup, following Japan. Mathematically, Saudi Arabia can still match Australia's points if they manage to win their last two matches while Australia loses their final game. However, Australia holds a goal difference advantage that is difficult to overcome, with eight goals compared to Saudi Arabia's minus two goals.

In the ninth match of this third round qualification, Indonesia faced difficulties in creating opportunities despite dominating the match. This was evident from the ball possession which reached 54 percent.

China, which relied on counterattacks, actually had better opportunities, with an xG (expected goals) figure reaching 0.46, compared to Indonesia which was only 0.16 until about five minutes before the end of the first half.

However, Indonesia managed to seize a golden opportunity after Ricky Kambuaya was brought down by Chinese defender, Yang Zexiang, in the penalty area. Following a VAR review, a penalty was awarded to Indonesia. Romeny, who took on the role of penalty taker, successfully defeated the Chinese goalkeeper, Wang Dalei, to give Garuda the lead.

In the second half, China was more aggressive in their attacks while Indonesia played cautiously to secure their lead. However, until the end of the match, the score remained unchanged.

With this victory, Indonesia temporarily occupies the third position with 12 points, two points ahead of Saudi Arabia, which is currently facing Bahrain, who has accumulated six points. With this defeat, China's journey in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers is confirmed to have ended, placing them at the bottom of Group C.