Indonesia national team still hope to next round even after losing to Iraq national team scoring 0-2 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers Round 2 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta.
Iraq was quite aggressive in pressing from the start of the match. Even in the first 10 minutes, Indonesia had difficulty penetrating the opponent’s defence line.
In fact, Iraq’s pressure almost bore fruit in the 15th minute, where Ibraheem Bayesh’s header tore Ernando Ari’s goal net. However, referee Shaun Evans, who led the match, deemed that the Iraqi striker was in an offside position.
After that, slowly but surely Indonesia tried to apply pressure and threats to Iraq’s defense. There were a number of opportunities created for the Garuda Team.
First, Shayne Pattynama’s cross to Ragnar Oratmangoen was swept away by the Iraqi defence. Meanwhile, Rafael Struick also had a golden opportunity when he managed to face Iraq’s goalkeeper, Jalal Hassan, in the 20th minute. However, the ball was still saved by the Iraqi goalkeeper.
Indonesia started to feel comfortable applying pressure in the middle of the first half. The Garuda Team even created another opportunity in the 33rd minute.
Unfortunately, the opportunity created by Rafael Struick by giving the ball to Sandy Walsh could not be completed properly. Sandy Walsh’s shot was still too weak and could be stopped easily by the Iraqi goalkeeper, Jalal Hassan.
Another opportunity was created by the Indonesian National Team after Nathan Tjoe A On’s breakthrough pass was able to split the Iraqi defense.
Unfortunately, Shayne Pattynama, who had received the ball in front of the Iraqi goal, chose to pass to Marselino who was nearby, but the ball was intercepted by the Iraqi defense.
Until the first 45 minutes ended, no goals had been scored
In the second half, Iraq again put pressure on Indonesia’s defense. Even the Garuda Team ended up falling behind after the referee awarded a penalty to Iraq in the 52nd minute.
Referee Shaun Evans gave a penalty to Iraq because the Indonesian national team defender, Justin Hubner, was caught in the eye by handball in the Indonesian national team’s penalty box. Iraqi bomber, Aymen Hussein, stepped forward to be the executor.
The Indonesian national team goalkeeper, Ernando Ari, managed to read the direction of Aymen Hussein’s shot. However, his attempt to reach the ball failed because the Iraqi bomber’s ball was really fast. The Garuda Muda team was trailing 0-1 in the 54th minute.
Not five minutes after conceding, the nightmare for Indonesia continued. The team coached by Shin Tae-yong had to play with 10 players after Jordi Amat received a straight red card.
Jordi Amat intended to stop the ball being carried by Zidane Iqbal who was about to enter the penalty box. However, Zidane Iqbal touched the ball first so Jordi Amat’s tackle actually hit Zidane Iqbal’s leg hard.
A four-defender formation was implemented by Shin Tae-yong after the Garuda Team lost one central defender from the three-stopper scheme implemented when Jordi Amat was still there.
Iraqi national team received a second penalty in the 72nd minute. The reason was that Ernando Ari was too late to stop the ball which was being controlled by Ali Jasim, so the effect was to bring down the Iraqi player.
However, this time Indonesian was lucky. Aymen Hussein, who was again the executor, this time failed to maximize the opportunity after his shot went over the crossbar.
The Indonesian national team had a golden opportunity after Ragnar Oratmangoen managed to get a long ball from behind in the 77th minute.
Indonesia attacker was immediately blocked by two Iraqi defenders, Suad Natiq and Rebin Sulaka. A tackle from one of the Iraqi players caused the ball to slip from Ragnar’s feet, even though the Iraqi goalkeeper worked hard to ward off the ball so it didn’t go into the net.
In a condition of being left behind, Indonesia continues to try to create opportunities. The entry of players like Yacob Sayuri made the Garuda Team attack through the wings.
However, while building attack after attack, the Garuda Team conceded again. Ernando Ari’s blunder became a nightmare for the Indonesian national team.
Receiving a backpass from Asnawi Mangkualam, Ernando Ari looked confused about where to send the ball. The Garuda Team goalkeeper actually kept the ball in front of the two Iraqi strikers, Mohanad Ali and Ali Jassim.
Ernando Ari, who tried to check Mohanad Ali, lost the ball to Ali Jassim, who then managed to shoot the ball into the unguarded goal.
Trailing 0-2 and playing with 10 players, the Indonesian national team did not give up and continued to pressure Iraq during injury time. However, until the final whistle sounded, the score did not change. The Garuda team had to surrender from Iraq in front of their own supporters.
Credit Photo : PSSI
