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Indonesia keeps World Cup dream alive after edging China 1-0
The Red and White edged past China 1-0 thanks to a penalty kick by Oxford United striker Ole Romeny in first-half stoppage time, a crucial strike that proved decisive under mounting pressure.
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Moment of glory: Indonesia national team forward Ole Romeny celebrates on June 5, 2025, after scoring against China during the third-round Group C match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at Gelora Bung Karno main stadium in Central Jakarta. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S)
I
ndonesia secured a spot in the fourth-round playoff of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating China 1-0 in a third-round match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta on Thursday night.
Oxford United forward Ole Romeny delivered the decisive moment of the match, converting a penalty in first-half stoppage time to hand Indonesia a vital win. The spot-kick was awarded following a video assistant referee (VAR) review that confirmed contact on Indonesian midfielder Ricky Kambuaya in the box. Despite the contentious nature of the decision, Ole calmly found the back of the net in front of an expected crowd of 76,000 at the stadium.
The goal broke the deadlock in an otherwise sluggish first half and ultimately proved enough to see Indonesia through to the next stage of qualification.
“The result is the most important thing. We are happy with the result. After this, we are going to build even more,” Indonesia head coach Patrick Kluivert said after the match, as quoted by AFP.
“The things that we wanted to see came off in the game. I am very proud of my team,” added the Dutch soccer legend.
Indonesia is aiming to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since gaining independence in 1945.
The country has only appeared once in the World Cup, when it was still a Dutch colony under the name Dutch East Indies in 1938.
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