Saudi Arabia. The Indonesian national team lost 0-1 to Iraq in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Zidane Iqbal scored the lone goal for the Lions of Mesopotamia.
Indonesia faced Iraq in Group B at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday (12/10/2025). Indonesia’s 0-1 loss prevented them from qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
This defeat means that Indonesia ended the fourth round at the bottom of Group B. Previously, Indonesia also lost 2-3 to Saudi Arabia.
The Course of the Match
Garuda put on the pressure early in the match. Indonesia nearly took the lead through Mauro Zijlstra.
Kevin Diks also threatened, hitting the crossbar with his shot. However, there were no goals until halftime.
In the second half, Indonesia made a substitution, substituting Ricky Kambuaya for Ragnar Oratmangoen. Meanwhile, Iraq withdrew two players, Sherko Karim and Kevin Yakob, to be replaced by Youssef Amyn and Zidane Iqbal.
Indonesia received its third yellow card after Mauro Zijlstra fouled an Iraqi player. Calvin Verdonk and Ricky Kambuaya had also received yellow cards in the first half.
Iraq threatened in the 56th minute with a counter-attack. Fortunately, Dean James was quick to stop the ball before it could reach the Iraqi striker.
Indonesia responded with attacks, created by Kevin Diks and Eliano. However, their passes failed to reach the advancing Ole Romeny.
Kevin Diks fired a shot in the 64th minute, but the ball squirmed past Jalal Hassan’s grasp.
Indonesia had a chance on the counter-attack through Ole Romeny’s movement. However, Ole was fouled, and the referee only showed a yellow card.
Goal! Iraq took advantage of a lapse in the Indonesian defense to score. Zidane Iqbal unleashed a shot from outside the penalty area that Maarten Paes couldn’t reach.
Indonesia pressed late in the match. However, Iraq maintained its 1-0 lead until the final whistle.
This result puts Iraq in a tie with Saudi Arabia at the top of Group B with 3 points, while Indonesia sits bottom with 0 points.
The Garuda squad was also confirmed to have to pack their bags. Their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup was ended.
Line-up
Indonesia (5-3-2)
Maarten Paes; Calvin Verdonk, Rizky Ridho, Kevin Diks, Jay Idzes, Dean James (Nathan Tjoe-A-On 87′); Thom Haye, Joey Pelupessy (Ramadhan Sananta 87′), Ricky Kambuaya (Ragnar Oratmangoen 46′); Eliano Reijnders (Miliano Jonathans 65′), Mauro Zijlstra (Ole Romeny 56′)
Coach: Patrick Kluivert
Iraq (4-5-1)
Jalal Hassan; Hussein Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Munaf Younus (Rebin Sulaka 98′), Mechas Doski; Ibrahim Bayesh, Mohanan Ali (Amar Muhsin 69′), Bashar Rasan (Ali Jasim 69′), Amir Al Ammari, Kevin Yakob; Sherko Kareem
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