Indonesia defeated by Japan
The Indonesian team was officially pushed to the bottom of the table after the first leg of the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.
Indonesia played Japan at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (Jakarta) on the evening of November 15. The home field advantage with the support of nearly 80,000 spectators and a squad of 9 players of European origin was not enough to help the Southeast Asian representative score points against the strongest team in Asia.
Indonesia only caused trouble for Japan in the first 15 minutes of the match. The team from the archipelago had a few quick attacks, getting close to the opponent's goal but could not get a shot off.
The Japanese team calmly controlled the match and showed class in every move they made. A combination from the Japanese players to the goal in the 35th minute resulted in an own goal by Justin Hubner. Takumi Minamino doubled the gap shortly after.
Indonesia conceded their third goal early in the second half. Goalkeeper Maarten Faes passed the ball straight to the Japanese player's feet. Morita Hidemasa shot very softly but Indonesian captain Jay Idzes fumbled and missed, letting the ball slip through his feet and into the goal.
Leading by 3 goals, the Japanese team started to play conservatively. Indonesia had more possession and organized attacks. However, after the team of thousands of islands missed 2 chances, they conceded another goal. Yukinari Sugawara scored to help Japan increase the score to 4-0.
Japan did not attack much and put constant pressure in the second half. However, they still controlled the match, not allowing Indonesia to score. The 4-0 victory helped the Japanese team continue to top the table, while Indonesia dropped to the bottom of Group C.