Facing a Reserve Team, Indonesia Carves Worst Record 0-6 from Japan

SUITA, TUESDAY – Indonesia suffered its worst defeat against Japan in the final match of Group C in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualification at Suita City Stadium, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on Tuesday (10/6/2025). Indonesia appeared to be of lower quality compared to Japan, a team that fielded some of its reserve players, in the crushing defeat of 0-6.

The match in the tenth week of the third round of World Cup qualification no longer determined the fate of both teams. Japan had already secured a ticket to the main round of the World Cup as the champion of Group C. Meanwhile, Indonesia clinched a ticket to the fourth round after defeating China, 1-0, in Jakarta last week.

Thus, this match, particularly for Japan, becomes an opportunity to provide more playing time for several substitute players. Therefore, Japanese Coach Hajime Moriyasu made rotations by fielding a lineup that was very different compared to when they were defeated by Australia, 0-1, on Thursday (5/6/2025) ago.

For the goalkeeper position, for instance, Moriyasu provided the opportunity for backup goalkeeper, Keisuke Osako, to play. Then, in the attacking line, Takefusa Kubo became the primary choice as the driving force of the attack, instead of Takumi Minamino or Yuma Suzuki.

However, the rotation of players hardly diminished the quality of Japan's performance, the number one team in Asia currently ranked 15th in the world. From the first minute, Japan took the initiative in attacking and consistently pressured Indonesia's defense. They even seemed to treat the match as a "practice" with their fluid play, one-two touch passes, and sharp finishing.

The Japanese attacks, particularly from the wings, became a nightmare for Indonesia's defense line, especially for goalkeeper Emil Audero, who had to endure numerous challenges. Despite playing with a "second" team, the collectivity and individual quality of the Japanese players appeared to be far superior to that of the Garuda team. A total of six goals for Japan were scored by five different players: Daichi Kamada (2 goals), Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuta Machino, and Mao Hosoya.

The right side of Indonesia's defense became one of the weak points in the match. Similar to Japan, player rotation was also carried out by Indonesian Coach Patrick Kluivert. In the central defense line, Kluivert deployed Mees Hilgers from the first minute to complete the defensive trio alongside Jay Idzes and Justin Hubner.

The appearance of Hilgers as a starting player was influenced by the absence of the key defender, Rizky Ridho, who is dealing with a hamstring issue during training. In the left wing position, Kluivert also surprised by opting to field Beckham Putra instead of Marselino Ferdinan or Ricky Kambuaya in the starting lineup.

Significant changes also occurred on the right wing. Dean James was preferred over Egy Maulana Vikri. This change appeared to be less effective as Indonesia barely posed a threat in the first half.

As the first half was coming to a close and at the beginning of the second half, Kluivert substituted Ferdinan and Kambuaya. However, these player changes did not bring about significant improvements. The Garuda team struggled to develop their game.

Statistically, Indonesia suffered a significant defeat. Indonesia was unable to make a single shot on target against the opponent. Meanwhile, Japan made a total of 11 shots on target. Ball possession was also heavily dominated by Japan, with 71 percent compared to 29 percent for Indonesia.

The defeat at the Suita City Stadium extends Indonesia's poor record when facing the host nation. The Garuda team has now recorded a total of four losses without scoring a single goal in four encounters against the host in Japan since 1979. Indonesia has conceded a total of 18 goals in those four matches.

In addition, this defeat also marks the worst that Indonesia has suffered in Japan. The score surpasses the previous record, which was a loss of 0-5 in the 1990 World Cup qualifying match. This crushing defeat further highlights Indonesia's inferiority against Japan. In the previous duel at Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia lost 0-4.

That crushing defeat also tarnished Kluivert's record with the Garuda team. For the second time, he was unable to elevate Indonesia's performance against a team of superior quality. Previously, the Indonesian squad under Kluivert was also humiliated by Australia, losing 1-5 in a match in Sydney on March 20, 2025. That match also marked Kluivert's debut with the Garuda team.

Thus, Kluivert still has a lot of homework to improve the quality of Indonesia's game in the fourth round of qualification. Indonesia has the opportunity to face tough opponents as well as traditional teams in Asia, such as Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

The fourth round match, involving six teams, will be held centrally from October 8 to 14. Only two teams, each group champion, are entitled to receive direct tickets to the main round.