Indonesia Defeated by China 2-1 in 2026 World Cup Qualifying

China, VIVA – Indonesian national football team marked its first defeat in the third round of the Asian Zone 2026 World Cup qualifiers against China with score 2-1 at the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium on Tuesday (Oct 15).

Indonesian team first successfully managed to lock down China's defense and dominated possession of the ball 76 percent in the first half.

Jay Idzes posed the first threat to China's goal in the seventh minute.

His shot was on target but did not result in a goal. Three minutes later, Ragnar Oratmangoen's shot went over the crossbar.

In the 21st minute, Indonesia's goalkeeper Maarten Paes was forced to make a save.

Baihelamu Abuduwaili latched on to a through ball from Shenlong inside the penalty area.

Trailing 0-1, Asnawi Mangkualam and his teammates tried to bounce back.

Then, Ivar Jenner created an opportunity after receiving a pass from Witan Sulaeman in the 35th minute, but his effort went wide.

Calvin Verdonk then fired a powerful shot towards the Chinese goal. However, goalkeeper Wang Dalei managed to get a hand on the ball.

While the Indonesians were busy attacking, China conceded another goal. Yuning Zhang, who received a through ball from Yuangyi Li, made no mistake and scored China's second goal.

Mees Hilgers tried to stop him but failed. Even Maarten Paes, who was moving forward, could not prevent it. The score changed to 2-0 for China.

The result was China's first win in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after three previous defeats.

Meanwhile, it was Indonesia's first defeat after three draws.

Despite the three points, China remains at the bottom of the preliminary Group C standings.