Shackled by Taiwan, Women's National Team's Journey Ends in Regret

TANGERANG, KOMPAS — High self-confidence supported by competent basic techniques from Taiwanese players is like a shackle for the Indonesian women's national soccer team. "Garuda Pertiwi" was unable to free itself and finally returned home with a settlement because it failed to get a ticket to the 2026 Asian Cup.

The Indonesian women's national team players could only bow their heads in tears when the referee blew the final whistle to end the match against Taiwan on Saturday (5/7/2025) evening. They were unable to contain their sadness and regret after losing with a score of 2-1 in the final match of Group D of the 2026 Asian Cup qualifiers at the Indomilk Arena Stadium, Tangerang Regency, Banten.

Two goals from Taiwan, scored by Su Yu-hsuan in the 20th minute and Liu Yu-Chiao in the 75th minute, dashed Indonesia's hopes of advancing to the 2026 Asian Cup. A single goal from Helsya Maeisyaroh in the 48th minute was not enough for Garuda Pertiwi to qualify for the quadrennial tournament once again.

A victory alone cannot automatically bring Indonesia to the Asian Cup, let alone a defeat. With the loss to Taiwan, Indonesia must be content with occupying the third position in the final standings, having only collected three points from one victory.

Taiwan, which topped the group with a collection of nine points from three victories, is entitled to a ticket to the Asian Cup. Only the best teams or those at the top of the standings advance to the four-yearly tournament. Taiwan follows Australia, China, South Korea, and Japan, which qualified directly as hosts and the top three from the previous edition.

"All the players gave their best; we realize that it is indeed quite difficult against Taiwan, and our chances of advancing are slim. However, we are trying to prove that we are also worthy and deserving to compete in Asia, to be able to be even bolder," said Helsya.

Even before the match, Indonesia was indeed overshadowed by all sorts of improbabilities. Many factors were not in their favor, ranging from head-to-head records, world rankings, to previous match results.

In two meetings with Taiwan over the past seven years, Indonesia has never been able to win. Both in the first round of the Paris 2024 Olympic qualification in 2023 and during the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in 2018, Garuda Pertiwi always lost 0-4.

More than four decades ago, Indonesia was even defeated by Taiwan with a score of 0-10. Based on Kompas' records on June 12, 1981, Indonesia was represented by the Buana Putri club from Jakarta. They competed in the Asian Women's Football Championship, before it was renamed the Asian Cup.

In the global rankings, Indonesia (position 95) is also at a disadvantage compared to Taiwan, which holds the 42nd position. Taiwan's mental condition can be considered better as they come off victories from their previous two matches, namely a convincing win against Pakistan with a score of 8-0 and a 3-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan. Meanwhile, Indonesia, after winning 1-0 against Kyrgyzstan, suffered a defeat to Pakistan with a score of 0-2.

With this result, Pakistan has collected six points from three matches, the same as Taiwan from two matches. Indonesia must also win to accumulate six points like Pakistan and Taiwan. However, winning is not enough as the advantage will be determined by goal difference.

The situation that is not in favor of Indonesia seems to bind them. The team coached by Satoru Mochizuki is also struggling to break free from these constraints.

Moreover, Taiwan also demonstrated their dominance on the field. It was evident that there were at least eight opportunities in the first half, with one of them resulting in a goal, while Indonesia could only create four opportunities.

Nevertheless, Indonesia's performance was significantly better than in the previous two matches. Garuda Pertiwi was able to create a golden opportunity just five minutes into the match. This opportunity was difficult to come by previously.

Isa Warps, who controlled the ball in the midfield area, provided a through pass to Rosdilah Siti on the right side of the attack. Rosdilah, from inside the penalty box, was able to take a shot at the goal left unguarded by the Taiwanese goalkeeper, Wang Yu-Ting. However, the ball was still cleared by a Taiwanese defender near the goal line.

"Although they lost, the players bravely built attacks and kicked the ball. Usually, they win if the last match sees the players' spirits peak, not only because they want to advance but also because they want to play well," said Mochizuki.

Against Taiwan, Indonesia was actually attacked more. However, this time Indonesia's defense was more disciplined. They repeatedly blocked the opponent's attacks.

On the other hand, classic problems continue to haunt. The deadlock in the final resolution, which began with basic techniques that have not yet been fully mastered, has resurfaced. In contrast, Taiwan presents itself confidently, supported by a mastery of basic football techniques, including passing, controlling, and kicking the ball.

This was clearly evident when Taiwan scored their second goal by Liu Yu-chiao with an accurate shot from outside the penalty area. Indonesia had made several attempts in the previous two matches after struggling to penetrate the opponent's penalty area, but these efforts did not result in any goals.

With the failure to advance to the final round of the Asian Cup, Indonesia must once again wait to compete at the Asian level. The Garuda Pertiwi last participated in the 2022 Women's Asian Cup held in India. They qualified by chance, which was also acknowledged by the national women's team coach at the time, Rudy Eka.

This fortunate circumstance includes North Korea's withdrawal from the qualifying round due to the Covid-19 pandemic. North Korea, which is also in Group C alongside Indonesia, Singapore, and Iraq, has participated in the Asian Cup ten times. Moreover, North Korea has also been crowned champion three times in the editions of 2001, 2003, and 2008.

North Korea's absence increases Indonesia's chances of participating in the final round of the 2022 Asian Cup. Furthermore, Iraq also withdrew 16 days before the start of the qualifying round. As a result, Indonesia only needed to defeat Singapore in two matches to secure the top position in Group C and ultimately succeeded in accomplishing that task.

However, in the Asian Cup, Indonesia became a goal reservoir for opposing teams. From three matches, Indonesia suffered defeats of 0-18 against Australia, 0-4 against Thailand, and 0-6 against the Philippines. Nevertheless, Indonesia's qualification for the Asian Cup marks a significant historical achievement. They ended a 33-year wait after last qualifying in 1989.

In 20 editions of the event, Indonesia has participated five times. In addition to the editions in 1989 and 2022, Indonesia qualified in the editions of 1977, 1981, and 1986. The best achievement of Garuda Pertiwi was reaching the semifinals in the 1977 and 1986 editions.

Taiwan has recorded its 15th qualification since first participating in 1977. Taiwan has a good track record in this tournament, having won the championship three times, including during their debut. Additionally, they have also finished in second and third place twice.

"I understand that Indonesia is very ambitious and aggressive right now in developing their women's football. However, we deserve to win and qualify because we have put in a lot of effort for this, not just one or two months, but for years," said Taiwan's coach, Chan Hiu Ming.