Indonesia secured a 1-0 victory over China in their Asian Football Confederation Group C qualifier for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
With a tense 1-0 win, Indonesia has boosted their chances of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for just the second time, while this loss means China is out of the running.
The only goal in Thursday’s match in Jakarta came from Oli Romeny, who scored from the penalty spot during the first half.
The penalty was awarded after Yang Zexiang foul Ricky Kambuaya right before half-time, a setback for the Chinese team, who had been under pressure from the Indonesian defense amidst high expectations.
Earlier in the day, Australia took a significant step towards securing another World Cup spot by defeating already qualified Japan 1-0.
Aziz Behich netted the winning goal with a curling shot from the edge of the box in the 90th minute.
In the last match of the day in Group C, Saudi Arabia faced Bahrain. A loss for the home team would hand Australia a guaranteed spot, while Bahrain needed a win to keep their playoff dreams alive.
Kambuaya was the first to make an attempt for Indonesia, but his long shot went off target.
Wang Yudong, making his international debut at just 18, was the standout player for China early on, although he sent his shot wide during a quick counterattack initiated by pressure from Indonesia.
China’s best opportunity came from Han Pengfei, who headed the ball over the bar following a corner from Serginho.
Romeny himself had a couple of near misses prior to scoring, hitting one shot just wide and another too close to the goalkeeper before converting the pivotal penalty.
Indonesia will travel to Japan for their final group match on Tuesday.
