
China's World Cup Dreams End in 1-0 Loss to Indonesia
JAKARTA: China's hopes of reaching only a second World Cup in their history were ended on Thursday after a 1-0 defeat to Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia in Jakarta.
Ole Romeny scored the only goal, his controversial penalty just before half time following a VAR check leaving China rooted to the bottom of Asian qualifying Group C with one game remaining.
President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to win the World Cup, but this defeat means they have still only been to the tournament once, in 2002.
'As a coach of course I have the responsibility for the result,' said manager Branko Ivankovic, who will likely face calls to quit.
The Croat said the future was bright for Chinese football despite the latest heartbreak.
They have won just two of their nine games in this round of Asian qualifying, losing seven.
'We brought the new generations and players into team China. I think we brought the motivation as well, I think this is where the future will be,' said Ivankovic.
The scrappy win leaves Indonesia in fourth spot to remain alive in qualifying for next year's tournament in North America.
A sell-out crowd of 76,000 at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium was sent into raptures after the Oxford United striker Romeny tucked away his spot-kick.
The 45th-minute goal proved to be the winner after a VAR review when Ricky Kambuaya went down under minimal contact.
It came at the perfect time for the hosts, just before the break, following a drab first half.
Indonesia have 12 points with one game remaining, with teams finishing third and fourth going into a further round of qualifying for 2026.
Now only Bahrain can catch them but they must beat Saudi Arabia at home later Thursday.
'The result is the most important thing. We are happy with the result. After this, we are going to build even more,' said Indonesia coach Kluivert, the Dutch great.
'The things that we wanted to see came off in the game. I am very proud of my team.'
Wild scenes
Indonesia, attempting to reach a first World Cup since independence in 1945, dominated possession and defended stoutly.
China -- who won the reverse fixture 2-1 in Qingdao -- applied the pressure with their World Cup hopes fading.
After the break Indonesia goalkeeper Emil Audero was forced into a mighty save to keep out Wang Yudong's low shot from the edge of the box.
China's Brazilian-born midfielder Serginho flashed a ball across the six-yard box that only needed a touch, but failed to find a suitor.
In between Chinese attacks, Indonesia kept finding space to create chances but were unable to convert.
Indonesia right-back Kevin Diks found his way into the box but had a shot saved before blazing the rebound wide.
But it was their night, both teams largely cancelling each other out, allowing Indonesia to claim victory and spark wild scenes at the full-time whistle.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
28 minutes ago
- The Star
Soccer-Gareca steps down as Chile coach after failure to qualify for World Cup
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - World Cup - CONMEBOL Qualifiers - Paraguay v Chile - Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion, Paraguay - March 20, 2025, Chile coach Ricardo Gareca reacts during the match REUTERS/Cesar Olmedo/File Photo SANTIAGO, Jun 10 (Reuters) -Ricardo Gareca confirmed he has stepped down as Chile head coach after their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup ended with a 2-0 away loss to Bolivia on Tuesday. "We made a decision, with the coaching staff (...) with the entire delegation. We told them that we want to ease the situation," said Gareca during a brief press conference after the match in El Alto, where he did not take questions. "The results never went with us, at any time. We did not produce results, Chile is in a situation that no one would have wished for." The defeat left Chile bottom of the South American table with only 10 points and two games remaining in the qualifying round. "La Roja" will miss out on the World Cup for the third time in a row, after failing to qualify for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 following a historic era that saw them win the Copa America in 2015 and 2016. Under Argentine manager Gareca, who was appointed in 2024, Chile only managed one win in 13 official games. (Report by Manuel Farias and Javier Leira; Writing by Janina Nuno Rios; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)


The Sun
42 minutes ago
- The Sun
Kamada hits double as Japan thrash Indonesia
Crystal Palace forward Daichi Kamada scored twice as Japan rounded off their successful World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-0 thrashing of Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia in Osaka on Tuesday. Kamada, an FA Cup winner with Palace in England this season, struck twice in the first half as already qualified Japan finished the campaign as Group C winners, scoring 30 goals in their 10 matches. Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and substitute Mao Hosoya were also on target against Indonesia, who finished fourth in the group. Kluivert's side, who were backed by a large travelling support in Japan, advance to a further round with five other teams to decide two more Asian qualifiers for next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Japan lost their unbeaten qualifying record in a 1-0 defeat away to Australia last week, with coach Hajime Moriyasu fielding an experimental line-up with qualification already in the bag. He started with two more debutants against Indonesia, handing first caps to defender Junnosuke Suzuki and winger Shunsuke Mito. Kamada opened the scoring in the 15th minute, heading home from a Mito cross. The Palace forward turned provider for his team's second, combining with Kubo before the Real Sociedad man fired past Indonesia goalkeeper Emil Audero. Indonesia lost defender Kevin Diks to injury midway through the first half and his replacement Yakob Sayuri lasted only 15 minutes before he also had to go off after a clash of heads. Kamada scored Japan's third on the stroke of half-time, waltzing through the Indonesia defence before tucking the ball over Audero. Morishita volleyed home at the back post in the 55th minute for his first international goal. Machino and Hosoya also got on the scoresheet as Japan continued to squeeze Indonesia until the final whistle.


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Crystal Palace's Kamada hits double as Japan thrash Indonesia
Crystal Palace forward Daichi Kamada scored twice as Japan rounded off their successful World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-0 thrashing of Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia in Osaka on Tuesday. Kamada, an FA Cup winner with Palace in England this season, struck twice in the first half as already qualified Japan finished the campaign as Group C winners, scoring 30 goals in their 10 matches. Takefusa Kubo, Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and substitute Mao Hosoya were also on target against Indonesia, who finished fourth in the group. Kluivert's side, who were backed by a large travelling support in Japan, advance to a further round with five other teams to decide two more Asian qualifiers for next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Japan lost their unbeaten qualifying record in a 1-0 defeat away to Australia last week, with coach Hajime Moriyasu fielding an experimental line-up with qualification already in the bag. He started with two more debutants against Indonesia, handing first caps to defender Junnosuke Suzuki and winger Shunsuke Mito. Kamada opened the scoring in the 15th minute, heading home from a Mito cross. The Palace forward turned provider for his team's second, combining with Kubo before the Real Sociedad man fired past Indonesia goalkeeper Emil Audero. Indonesia lost defender Kevin Diks to injury midway through the first half and his replacement Yakob Sayuri lasted only 15 minutes before he also had to go off after a clash of heads. Kamada scored Japan's third on the stroke of half-time, waltzing through the Indonesia defence before tucking the ball over Audero. Morishita volleyed home at the back post in the 55th minute for his first international goal. Machino and Hosoya also got on the scoresheet as Japan continued to squeeze Indonesia until the final whistle.