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| Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong made another magic. He led Indonesia and defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0. It is the first victory against Saudi Arabia and the first third qualifying round of the World Cup in Indonesian soccer history. |
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| Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong made another magic. He led Indonesia and defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0. It is the first victory against Saudi Arabia and the first third qualifying round of the World Cup in Indonesian soccer history. |
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Coach Shin Tae-yong has achieved tremendous achievements in Indonesian soccer history.
Indonesia won 2-0 in Group C of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Saudi Arabia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on the 19th (Korea time). With this victory, Indonesia jumped to third place in Group C with its historic first victory in the third qualifying round of the World Cup.
Before meeting Saudi Arabia, coach Shin Tae-yong was briefly rumored to be dismissed. Head coach Shin Tae-yong led Indonesia's first advance to the third World Cup qualifying round in history, but his performance was somewhat disappointing after entering the third qualifying round. He didn't win a single game in five games.
It was the root of the hard-hitting theory that it raised expectations by drawing against Saudi Arabia and Australia, which have superior objective power. It was the aftermath of Indonesian fans' expectations as their power continued to improve through the naturalization policy even before Indonesia advanced to the third qualifying round of the World Cup. It was the fans' expectation that Shin Tae-yong would cruise in the third qualifying round because he was successfully leading the team.
However, Indonesia drew with Bahrain and lost against China and Japan in a row, and Indonesia fell to the bottom of the group. The defeat against China, which had been losing three consecutive games in the third qualifying round, was the reason public opinion began to falter. The hashtag 'Shin Tae-yong OUT' began to spread among Indonesian fans.
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| Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong made another magic. He led Indonesia and defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0. It is the first victory against Saudi Arabia and the first third qualifying round of the World Cup in Indonesian soccer history. |
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| Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong made another magic. He led Indonesia and defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0. It is the first victory against Saudi Arabia and the first third qualifying round of the World Cup in Indonesian soccer history. |
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Coach Shin Tae-yong was a man who was strong in crisis. Amid the Saudi-led trend, Indonesia bullied Saudi Arabia with a counterattack after the defense. Coach Shin Tae-yong's planned counterattack worked properly. Indonesia's atmosphere was good from the beginning. In the 8th minute of the first half, Rafael Strawiecki had a decisive opportunity, but he was blocked by the goalkeeper. It was not a score, but it became a situation that instilled confidence in Indonesia.
The 31st minute of the first half was the starting point of the big-time history. Ragnar Oratmangun hit and ran from the left before sending a pass to Marcelino Ferdinand at cutback. Marcelino calmly tricked the defender and scored. Coach Shin Tae-yong also laughed.
Since then, the flow of the stadium has begun to change. Indonesian players began to lead the game. Calvin Verdonk's surprise shot in the extra time of the first half shocked Saudi Arabia. Indonesia finished the first half with a smile.
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| Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong made another magic. He led Indonesia and defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0. It is the first victory against Saudi Arabia and the first third qualifying round of the World Cup in Indonesian soccer history. |
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| Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong made another magic. He led Indonesia and defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0. It is the first victory against Saudi Arabia and the first third qualifying round of the World Cup in Indonesian soccer history. |
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Saudi Arabia didn't seem to be a team prepared at all for Indonesia's counterattack. He was almost hit by a counterattack in the eighth minute of the second half. Orat Mangwoon's header was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Indonesia has succeeded in widening the gap. In the 11th minute of the second half, Verdonk connected to Marcelino after hitting and running alone on the counterattack. Marcelino's first shot was blocked, but Indonesia led by two goals as the second shot came out calmly.
Saudi Arabia, which was in a hurry, tried to change the situation with a replacement, but the Indonesian defense's concentration shone. Indonesia did not just defend, but also aimed for scoring a net goal.
It was Indonesia where the variable occurred. Justin Herbner, who had already been warned in the 44th minute of the second half, was sent off when he received the second warning. Indonesia, which was in a numerical inferiority, had no choice but to focus on defense. Indonesia began to falter in the second half of extra time, but avoided losing points. Saudi Arabia had a shot that hit the post in extra time in the second half. In the end, head coach Shin Tae-yong made history as the match ended as it was.
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| Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong made another magic. He led Indonesia and defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0. It is the first victory against Saudi Arabia and the first third qualifying round of the World Cup in Indonesian soccer history. |
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| Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong made another magic. He led Indonesia and defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0. It is the first victory against Saudi Arabia and the first third qualifying round of the World Cup in Indonesian soccer history. |
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Until meeting head coach Shin Tae-yong, Indonesia was a team that had lost 1 draw and 11 losses to Saudi Arabia. There was not a single victory. However, he has not lost to Saudi Arabia since he joined coach Shin Tae-yong. After drawing in the first face-off, he won against Saudi Arabia this time. The victory also marked Indonesia's historic first victory in the third Asian qualifying round for the World Cup.
With this victory, Indonesia quickly moved to third place. It is the same as Saudi Arabia in fourth place and China in fifth place with six points, making it clear that the atmosphere will change. Even if they do not finish in the top two in the third qualifying round, there is still hope that it will be the fourth qualifying round. Manager Shin Tae-yong continues Indonesia's World Cup hopes.
rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com
