Indonesia's Futsal National Team Opens With a Special Victory Over South Korea

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — You will not find anything similar in football. The team coached by PSSI, with the Garuda logo on their chest, defeated the South Korean squad with a decisive score of 5-0. This victory was achieved in the opening match of Group A of the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup, on Tuesday (27/1/2026) evening, at the Indonesia Arena, Jakarta.

For Indonesia, the three points against South Korea feel special. This is because Indonesia has been waiting for 16 years to achieve a positive result in their first match of the Futsal Asian Cup.

That moment was last achieved by the Garuda squad at the 2010 Futsal Asian Cup in Uzbekistan. At that time, Indonesia defeated Taiwan with a score of 6-1.

In its last three participations in the Futsal Asian Cup, namely the editions of 2012, 2014, and 2022, Indonesia has always faced defeat. The negative results in the first games of the last two editions were suffered against the Asian champions, Iran. Indonesia also lost to China in the 2012 edition.

"This is a good result for us. However, we must not relax our focus, as the next matches will be increasingly tight and difficult," said the coach of the Indonesian Futsal National Team, Hector Souto, after the match.

I congratulate the Indonesian team. They have very fast players, which made it difficult for us.

In addition to ending the winless record in their first match of the Futsal Asian Cup, Indonesia also added to their victory record against South Korea. In the last three encounters, Indonesia has managed to come out on top.

Prior to the 2026 Asian Futsal Cup, Indonesia recorded victories in the 2022 MNC Indonesia International Cup with a score of 6-2, and the 2025 China International Tournament, which ended with a 3-0 victory. According to Futsal Planet data, Indonesia and South Korea's head-to-head record is tied, with each team having three wins.

The coach of the South Korean Futsal National Team, Paulo Fernandes, acknowledged Indonesia's superiority. According to him, the playing style of the Garuda squad is the most distinct compared to the other three teams in Group A.

"I would like to congratulate the Indonesian team. They have very fast players, which made it difficult for us. Nevertheless, I am confident that we will perform better in the upcoming games because Iraq and Kyrgyzstan have a playing style similar to ours," said Fernandes.

Indonesia's dominance has been evident since the beginning. The five main players fielded by the coach of the Indonesian Futsal National Team, Hector Souto, are similar to the starting lineup in the final match of the 2025 SEA Games against Thailand.

Indonesia took the lead just three minutes into the match through captain M Iqbal Iskandar, who tapped in a shot from Rizki Xavier's kick-in. The Garuda squad doubled their lead in the 11th minute through Rio Pangestu's powerful strike, a combination of passes with Ardiansyah Nur in the South Korean half.

In the second half, Indonesia was also able to take an early lead. The match had only been underway for 55 seconds after the break when Iqbal scored his second goal with a precise shot that capitalized on a rebound from the South Korean goalkeeper, Jeong Joo-ho.

The two goals that closed Indonesia's party were scored by Israr Megantara in the 29th minute and Reza Gunawan in the 36th minute.

"We made mistakes for every one of their goals. Their early goal also affected our play," said South Korean captain Hwang Un.

Indonesia's performance received applause from 6,360 pairs of eyes present at the Indonesia Arena. Appreciation was not only evident after the final whistle but also at the end of each attacking process by Indonesia.

Control of the game, with a record of 63 percent ball possession, underscores the dominance of the Garuda squad. In addition to scoring three goals, Indonesia also had two opportunities that hit the goalposts and a shot that was deflected by the crossbar.

South Korea was overwhelmed by Indonesia's high defensive zone from the start. Couto's team's counter-pressing tactics also prevented South Korea from developing their game.

To escape the home team's pressure, South Korea relied on long diagonal passes that directed the ball to two "ala"—the term for wingers in futsal—in the Indonesian defense. However, the attack was easily anticipated by Iqbal and his teammates.

Iqbal stated that the victory over South Korea should be appreciated by the Indonesian team. However, he emphasized that each Garuda player does not yet feel satisfied with the three points from the first match.

"We never feel satisfied. Of course, we will still analyze this match. The coach will provide notes so that we can improve in the next game," said Iqbal.

The victory over the "Taegeuk Forces" has placed Indonesia at the top of the temporary standings in Group A. Indonesia leads by goal difference over Iraq, which defeated Kyrgyzstan with a score of 4-2.

Next, Indonesia will face Kyrgyzstan on Thursday (29/1/2026), followed by a match against Iraq on Saturday (31/1/2026).