The Bittersweet Experience of the Indonesian National Team's Absolute Superiority Over Taiwan

Supporters of the Indonesian national team who filled the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday (5/9/2025) night were entertained by six goals against Taiwan. Despite a commanding 6-0 lead, the "Garuda" squad still has several weaknesses that need to be addressed before heading into the actual arena in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers next October.

Six goals were scored by five different players of the Indonesian national team. Jordi Amat (4th minute), Marc Klok (33’), Eliano Reijnders (38’), Ramadhan Sananta (58’), and Sandy Walsh (60’) took turns marking their names on the scoreboard. One more goal was scored by an own goal from the visiting team's defender, Chao Ming Hsiu, in the 24th minute.

The final score indicates that the team coached by Patrick Kluivert performed as expected. The decisive victory was well-deserved given the quality gap between the two teams. Indonesia is ranked 118th in the FIFA rankings, while Taiwan is in 172nd place. In Southeast Asia, Taiwan's level is comparable to that of Cambodia, which is also within the 180 range of the current FIFA rankings.

However, from the perspective of gameplay, there are certainly many aspects that the coaching staff of the Indonesian national team needs to take note of. The superiority in team and individual quality, marked by a six-goal margin, does not truly reflect a significant improvement in the performance of the "Garuda" in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The "bitter" note begins with the effectiveness of the attack. Six goals were scored from 23 shots taken by Rizky Ridho and his teammates. However, Indonesia could only produce five shots on target. This is certainly apart from one own goal by a Taiwanese player.

Aside from those precise shots, Indonesian players recorded two attempts that were saved by the crossbar of Taiwan's goal. The rest of the shots went wide of the goalposts or soared over the crossbar, including a shot from new striker Mauro Zijlstra in the 78th minute.

By observing the precise shots, the shooting accuracy of Indonesian players is only 26 percent. This figure is lower compared to the 33 percent shooting accuracy of Taiwan, which only produced seven shots. Although Taiwan only created seven shots, they forced Indonesian goalkeeper, Emil Audero, to make two saves in the second half.

Referring to the creation of precise shooting techniques, there has only been a slight improvement from the 14 percent shooting accuracy recorded by the Indonesian national team in 10 matches of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The total of five accurate shots does not indicate any significant improvement. This is because the Garuda squad averages three accurate shots per game when facing five teams ranked in the top 90 in the world.

On the other hand, Indonesia recorded 69 percent possession. Passing accuracy also reached 89 percent. Of the 680 passes attempted by Kluivert's team, 607 were on target, according to statistics from Lapangbola.

I think in the first half our midfielders were too high. This situation narrowed the space for the wingers. We changed that, resulting in beautiful goals.

However, the passes were still very minimal in the last third of the visiting team's defense. Indonesia only produced 154 successful passes, or 25 percent of the passes were distributed in Taiwan's final defensive zone.

The low success rate of passes in the final third of the defensive zone is indeed influenced by Taiwan's low block defense. However, this also indicates that the Garuda squad still has a very limited ability to deliver progressive passes.

The quality of progressive passes is indeed crucial when facing Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In October, it will be significantly better than against Taiwan. Moreover, considering the 27 passes made in the penalty area against Taiwan, this situation serves as a warning regarding Indonesia's ability to deliver passes into the dangerous areas of the opponent.

Not only is the number of progressive passes very low, but Indonesia's crossing accuracy is also still lacking. There is only a 36 percent accuracy rate for crosses into Taiwan's penalty area. This percentage has only slightly increased compared to the 26 percent accuracy rate for crosses during the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Four Indonesian players who recorded accurate crosses are Shayne Pattynama (two successful crosses), followed by Yakob Sayuri, Egy Maulana Vikri, and Beckham Putra, each with one accurate cross.

Kluivert stated that at the beginning of the game, an ideal situation was experienced by the wingers. With a 4-2-3-1 formation, Kluivert positioned two players on each side of the field. Pattynama and Beckham were on the left, while Egy and Yakob collaborated on the right.

"I think in the first half our midfielders were too high. That situation narrowed the space for the wingers. We changed that, resulting in beautiful goals," said Kluivert. Beckham, Egy, and Yakob recorded assists in the first half.

Regardless of the many aspects that still need improvement ahead of the competition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next month, Kluivert can smile a little due to the depth of the Garuda squad. For the first time during his tenure with Indonesia, Patrick only played two center-backs, filled by the duet from Persija Jakarta, Jordi and Rizky Ridho.

He solidified the midfield by deploying the pivot duo, Klok and Nathan Tjoe-A-On. In the second half, Nathan was replaced by Thom Haye.

The attacking midfielder position is occupied by Eliano Reijnders. Although in the last two seasons he has played for PEC Zwolle as a wing-back, Eliano has actually more frequently appeared as an attacking midfielder throughout his professional career.

A total of 42 matches out of 204 professional games were played by Eliano as an attacking midfielder. The last time he occupied that position was while representing Jong Utrecht in the Second Division of the Dutch League during the 2022-2023 season, specifically in the match against VVV Venlo on May 20, 2023.

Playing a more attacking role, Eliano finally scored his first goal for the Indonesian national team, converting a pass from Yakob.

"Eliano can play in many positions. I feel he executed his role (attacking midfielder) well," said Kluivert about Eliano, the new player of Persib Bandung.

Two key wing backs, Yakob and Shayne, are also actively involved in the team's attack. Both have demonstrated their ability to perform well and deserve to represent the Garuda squad amidst the crowded player roster in the wing back position. Shayne, for instance, is competing with Calvin Verdonk and Dean James.

Ramadhan Sananta has proven his eligibility to wear the Indonesian national team uniform. The forward, who is currently playing in the Malaysian League with DPMM FC, contributed to two goals against Taiwan. He scored one goal and created an own goal by a Taiwanese defender.

In addition to those players, two debutants, Mauro and Miliano Jonathans, offer a glimmer of hope. Mauro could be a viable alternative when Kluivert needs a poacher-type striker skilled in aerial duels.

Miliano has proven himself to be a modern winger. His dribbling and ability to excel in one-on-one duels with opposing defenders are significant advantages. The only aspect that Miliano needs to improve is his shooting accuracy.

A new winger, Adrian Wibowo, is also ready to make an impact for the Garuda squad. The LAFC player has the opportunity to make his debut against Lebanon on Monday (8/9/2025). The condition is that his limited dual passport has been issued. Adrian is only 19 years old, so he is still allowed to hold two passports.

When he reached the age of 21, he was required to choose one passport, either Indonesia or the United States. FIFA allowed Adrian to represent Indonesia because his father was born in Surabaya, East Java.

"This trial is not just about the results. Primarily, Patrick Kluivert can assess the quality of the players and ensure that the tactics can be implemented effectively for the actual match of Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers," said the Chairman of PSSI, Erick Thohir.