Indonesia knocks China out of World Cup contention and edges closer to advancing to the next stage.

Indonesia, managed by Patrick Kluivert, has taken a significant step towards securing a spot in the next stage of the Asian qualifying round for the World Cup, thanks to their victory over China, who have now been eliminated from contention.

Despite a rocky start in his debut match, Kluivert guided Indonesia to a 1-0 win over Bahrain in their following qualifying fixture back in March. Heading into the match with a total of 9 points, Indonesia ranked fourth in Group C of the AFC qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup. On the other hand, last-placed China came into this game after suffering three consecutive qualifying defeats and knew they needed a win to keep their World Cup hopes alive for 2026.

Kluivert, a legendary figure at Ajax, opted to leave many of his recently acquired Dutch-Indonesian players on the bench, giving Emil Audero, a goalkeeper from Palermo, his first cap for Pasukan Garuda. The forward line was spearheaded by Oxford United’s Ole Romeny, alongside Dewa United’s Egy Maulana Vikri and Ricky Kambuaya.

Indonesia dictated play in the first half, restricting China to only four attempts on goal with none posing a serious threat. It took a penalty awarded for a foul on Kambuaya to finally break the deadlock; Romeny, who had found the net in his previous two outings, coolly slotted the ball home just before the interval.

In the second half, Indonesia tightened their grip on the match, allowing China only a single shot on target after the break. Kluivert also introduced Beckham Putra, marking five debutants in total across his first three matches in charge.

China, which saw former Everton defender Tyias Browning enter the fray in the second half, succumbed to a defeat against Indonesia for the first time since 1987, officially ending their World Cup aspirations.

With the victory, Indonesia now stands at 12 points and will be hoping that Bahrain slips up against Saudi Arabia, which would guarantee Pasukan Garuda a position in the fourth round of qualifying.