Indonesia shock Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifier

Indonesia record an upset against Saudi Arabia with their first win in the group stage of the AFC World Cup qualifiers.

Indonesia have shocked Saudi Arabia with a 2-0 win in Jakarta in Group C of the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

A goal in each half from Marselino Ferdinan, who plays for Oxford United in England’s second tier, nailed down a victory on Tuesday for the Southeast Asian nation, which last appeared at the World Cup in 1938 as the Dutch East Indies.

It was Indonesia’s first win in the history of their participation in the third round of qualification and moves them level on points with their Arab opponents and China.

“I am so proud of my team and the country,” goalkeeper Maarten Paes said. “Marselino scored two great goals, and we defended so well. We knew that this was an important game, and to get a win, that gives us so much confidence. It is so close in our group.”

The game became fractious late on with the home side reduced to 10 men when Justin Hubner was shown a second yellow card for an off-the-ball incident while Saudi Arabia rattled the bar through Mohamed Kanno.

“Indonesia deserved to win this game,” Saudi coach Herve Renard said. “We have four games left, and it will be tough, but it will be tough for everybody.”

Japan are within touching distance of an eighth successive World Cup appearance after beating China 3-1 to put the team 10 points clear at the top of Group C.

The Samurai Blue have 16 points from six games with four to go in Group C. Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and China all have six points, as does Australia, which could move three points clear in second with a win at last-placed Bahrain on Tuesday.

Despite beating China 7-0 at home in September, it took Japan 39 minutes to break the deadlock in Xiamen with a Koki Ogawa header. Ko Itakura added a second before halftime.

Home fans grew hopeful when Lin Liangming pulled a goal back early in the second half, but Ogawa headed home his second and Japan’s third soon after.

In Group A, Uzbekistan took a big step towards a first World Cup appearance after edging North Korea 1-0. The Uzbeks took the points with a first-half strike from Abbosbek Fayzullaev although Jong Il Gwon missed a late penalty for the Koreans, who are playing their home games in Laos.

The top two from each of the three groups of six progress automatically to the World Cup while the six teams who finish third and fourth will advance to the next stage of qualification.