Indonesia Defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 in World Cup Qualifiers
- AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana
Jakarta, VIVA – The Indonesian national team made history by defeating Saudi Arabia for the first time in the history of their encounters.
The match took place on Tuesday (Nov 19), at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium and ended with a 2-0 victory for Indonesia.
Marselino Ferdinan emerged as the hero with two crucial goals that secured three vital points for Indonesia in Group C of the 2026 Asian World Cup Qualifiers.
Ferdinan's first goal in the 32nd minute gave Indonesia an early lead. He then scored again in the 57th minute to seal the 2-0 victory.
Gelandang Timnas Indonesia Ivar Jenner (tengah) saat melawan Arab Saudi
- AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana
The 20-year-old also set a record as the first Indonesian player to score two goals in a single match during the third phase of the World Cup Qualifiers.
Marselino now joins Thom Haye, Ragnar Oratmangoen, Rafael Struick, and Sandy Walsh as players who have scored for Indonesia in this tournament.
This victory was not only a special moment for Shin Tae-yong's squad but also ended Indonesia's poor record of 13 previous winless encounters against Saudi Arabia.
Despite Saudi Arabia's dominance with 77% possession and 23 shots, Indonesia's efficiency proved to be the key to victory.
Of the 13 shots taken by Indonesia, six were on target, with two finding the back of the net.
On the defensive side, the solid combination of Jay Idzes, Rizky Ridho, and Sandy Walsh effectively neutralized Saudi Arabia's attacks. Maarten Paes also delivered a stellar performance with several crucial saves.
The victory propelled Indonesia to third place in Group C's standings, collecting six points from six matches. Indonesia is now just one point behind second-placed Australia and ahead of Saudi Arabia on goal difference in fourth place.
For context, the Indonesian national team first faced Saudi Arabia in 1981 in a friendly match, which ended in a 1-3 defeat.
In their previous 13 encounters, Indonesia had only managed two draws, with the other 11 matches ending in losses, including heavy defeats of 0-5 and 0-6 in 2003.
Fortunately, in this 14th match, history favored Indonesia. After 43 years without a victory, the Indonesia finally claimed their first win against Saudi Arabia, breaking their dominance in Asian football.
This victory also made Indonesia the first ASEAN team to defeat Saudi Arabia since 2008.
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