Indonesia's 2026 World Cup dream shattered after bitter defeat to Iraq

The Indonesian team lost 0-1 to Iraq in the early morning of October 12 and officially said goodbye to the 2026 World Cup dream.

Indonesian players disappointed after 2026 World Cup dream shattered - Photo: REUTERS

In a must-win match against Iraq to have any hope of advancing, Indonesia pushed their attack from the first minutes. They even played better than Iraq with 56% possession and 9 shots, but most of them were inaccurate.

In the 76th minute, Iraq opened the score 1-0 thanks to Zidane Iqbal's shot from close to the 16.50 mark, defeating goalkeeper Maarten Paes (Indonesia). With nothing left to lose, Indonesia sent all its troops to attack but could not penetrate Iraq's "steel wall".

In the extra minutes, Iraq was reduced to 10 men after Tahseen received a second yellow card and was sent off, but the remaining time was too short for Indonesia to turn the game around. With a 0-1 defeat, Indonesia officially stopped in the 4th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia.

Iraq and Saudi Arabia, both with 3 points, will meet in the final match to compete for a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

QUOC THANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/indonesia-vo-mong-world-cup-2026-sau-that-bai-cay-dang-truoc-iraq-20251012055723845.htm