The Role of Parents Behind Ole Romeny's Goal Record

After a long wait, the Indonesian national team finally has a strong and sharp striker who can determine victory. Ole Lennar ter Haar Romenij, also known as Oleh Romeny, is his name. Three goals in three matches of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers have yielded six points for the "Garuda" squad.

The six points contributed by the 24-year-old striker ensure that Indonesia's hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup remain alive since the republic's independence in August 1945. Ole has led Indonesia to advance to the fourth round to compete with six other Asian teams for the remaining two tickets to the world stage next year.

Ole scored a solitary goal in Indonesia's last three matches in Group C of the third round. The goals against Australia, Bahrain, and China have witnessed his sharpness. Ole arrived and joined the Garuda squad at the right moment. He scored the only goal to secure a 1-0 victory for Indonesia against two closest rivals, Bahrain and China.

Specifically for the match against China, Ole acknowledged that he executed the most important penalty of his professional career thus far. His calm execution was able to deceive the goalkeeper and captain of China, Wang Dalei, who is 12 years his senior.

"My mother watched my match (with the national team) live for the first time. I caught a glimpse of her when the referee was reviewing the VAR; perhaps she was holding her breath while watching me take the penalty. On the other hand, I always remember my father's message to stay calm and enjoy every moment (in the match)," Ole said with a smile at the press conference following the match against China, Thursday (5/6/2025) night, at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta.

Three consecutive goals in the World Cup qualifiers helped Ole match a record that has stood for two decades in the Indonesian national team. The Oxford United forward is the second player from the Indonesian national team to score in three consecutive matches in the World Cup qualifying tournament.

The first player to carve out that historic record is the legend of Persita Tangerang, Ilham Jayakesuma. This record was set by Ilham during the second round of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.

Ilham opened his scoring account in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers by netting a goal against Sri Lanka on September 8, 2004, at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Subsequently, he scored four goals in the next two matches at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta.

A goal was scored when Indonesia lost 1-3 to Saudi Arabia, October 12, 2004. Furthermore, Ilham, who is now the coach of the U-20 Persita team and the Tangerang Regency civil servants, scored a hat-trick against Turkmenistan, November 17, 2004.

In the midst of the Indonesia vs China match, Ilham was happy to see Ole equal his impressive record with the Garuda squad. "Yes, (Ole equalized it) yes alhamdulillahha-ha-ha," Ilham told Kompas via text message.

Ole's ability to match Ilham's fantastic record did not happen by chance. He is one of the players with a great commitment to defending the Garuda symbol on his chest. Ole does not have a direct lineage to his ancestors in Indonesia, but he is one of the naturalized players with blijvers status or has a grandfather/grandmother or father/mother who was born in Indonesia.

Despite his status as a blijvers, Ole's spirit in every Indonesian national team match burns like a torch. Ole is one of the players who puts aside matters outside the field. When conducting a training camp in Bali, late May, he openly told General Chairman Erick Thohir that he preferred to go to Jakarta quickly to play the match rather than training in a holiday atmosphere in Bali.

After once again contributing three points for the Garuda squad in the match against China, Ole seems to be full of energy and consistently displays a hunger for victory. He is already focused on the last match against Japan, Tuesday (10/6/2025), at Suita Stadium, Japan.

"I am truly happy to be able to help the team. I am very excited to play in the next match and cannot wait to meet Japan," he said.

In addition to equaling Ilham's record, Ole has surpassed the achievements of prolific Indonesian players in the World Cup qualifying matches. This record involves scoring goals in two consecutive games.

Ramang is the first Indonesian player to score goals in two consecutive matches during the World Cup qualifiers, specifically recorded in the early stages of the 1958 World Cup. The legend of PSM Makassar scored two goals against China.

Subsequently, Dede Sulaeman scored goals in two consecutive matches during the qualification for the 1986 World Cup. In the same qualification period, Bambang Nurdiansyah also achieved a similar record. The collection of goals by Dede and Bambang proceeded like a relay. Dede found the net against Thailand and Bangladesh, while Bambang defeated the goalkeeper of Bangladesh and India.

Uston Nawawi is the fourth player to have scored consecutive goals during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. In the list of consecutive goal scorers in the World Cup qualifiers, Uston is the only player who plays as a midfielder.

As the Indonesian national team progresses to the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Ole has the opportunity to set a new record for himself within the national team. Not only records, but the Indonesian public also hopes that Ole's sharpness can elevate Garuda to the 2026 World Cup.

Ole... Ole... Ole...