Eliminate China, Indonesia team closes in on 2026 World Cup ticket

(NLDO) - After 90 minutes of official play, Indonesia defeated China with a score of 1-0, thereby keeping alive the hope of participating in the 2026 World Cup from the 4th qualifying round.

The match between Indonesia and China was extremely dramatic from the very first minutes. In the 3rd minute, Indonesia took the initiative to put pressure on their opponents. China responded quickly with a counterattack in the 5th minute, but Wang Yudong's shot missed the post.

The more they played, the better Indonesia controlled the ball. Egy Maulana caused many difficulties for the Chinese defense with his technical moves on the left wing. However, Romenij's shots in the 29th and 34th minutes were not sharp enough to bring goals.

The turning point came in the 40th minute when Kambuaya was fouled in the penalty area. After consulting VAR, the referee determined that a penalty should be awarded to the home team. Seizing the opportunity, Romenij easily fooled goalkeeper Wang Dalei, opening the score 1-0 for Indonesia before the end of the first half.

In the second half, China pressed forward strongly in search of an equalizer. In the 47th minute, Wang Yudong unleashed a powerful long-range shot that forced goalkeeper Audero to show his talent in blocking. However, Indonesia took the initiative to retreat deep to play defensive counter-attacks and maintain their position. The pace of the match slowed down significantly, which was beneficial to the home team.

Up to the 66th minute, China was still struggling to find a way into the opponent's goal. Indonesia showed solidity and reasonable calculation in each phase of the ball, aiming to preserve the fragile advantage. The match was entering the most tense phase.

However, the Chinese team showed a lack of cohesion in the final two-thirds of the field. In the end, Indonesia maintained the score of 1-0.

With this victory, coach Patrick Kluivert and his team have 12 points and won a ticket to the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, while China was officially eliminated. Because in the previous match in Group C, Australia defeated Japan 1-0 to win the remaining ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

Thus, in Group C, Japan and Australia won tickets directly to the 2026 World Cup. Indonesia and Saudi Arabia entered the 4th qualifying round (play-off round).

In the play-off round, the 6 third and fourth-placed teams from the 3 groups will be divided into 2 groups (3 teams each). The teams will play a round-robin (home and away) to select the 2 group winners to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The 2 second-placed teams from the 2 groups will play a play-off (home and away) to select the team representing Asia to compete in the intercontinental play-off. The winner of the intercontinental play-off will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/loai-trung-quoc-tuyen-indonesia-tien-sat-ve-world-cup-2026-196250605224335295.htm