'STY OUT'+Hard talk? 'Inni Fans Support Hot on the Stadium' Shin Tae-yong Magic Exploded! Indonesia wins 2-0 against Saudi Arabia...3rd place in the group → Going to the WC finals 'Hope Blazing'

Nov 20, 2024

Shin Tae-yong Magic eventually worked. Indonesia beat Asian powerhouse Saudi Arabia to save its hopes of advancing to the World Cup finals. Indonesia won 2-0 in the third Asian qualifying match for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Saudi Arabia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on the 19th (Korea time). Indonesia was able to enjoy the joy of its first victory in the third qualifying round by catching Saudi Arabia in the match. Indonesia, which had been sluggish with three draws and two losses in the previous five games, immediately added three points to reach the six-point mark and raised the ranking from the bottom of the group to the third place. Indonesia continued its hopes of advancing to the World Cup by reaching a playoff spot. AFP Yonhap News

Shin Tae-yong's magic eventually worked. Indonesia beat Asian powerhouse Saudi Arabia to save its hopes of advancing to the World Cup finals.

Indonesia's national team, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, won 2-0 in the third Asian qualifying match for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Saudi Arabia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia on the 19th (Korea time).

Indonesia was able to enjoy the joy of its first victory in the third qualifying round by catching Saudi Arabia in the match. Indonesia, which had been sluggish with three draws and two losses in the previous five games, immediately added three points to reach the six-point mark and raised the ranking from the bottom of the group to the third place. Indonesia continued its hopes of advancing to the World Cup by reaching a playoff spot. Japan (16 points), currently ranked first in Group C, is difficult to catch up, but second-place Australia (6 points) has a possibility of overturning depending on the situation, so there is still hope to go straight to the finals. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, fell to fourth place after falling behind Indonesia in goal difference.

Indonesia played in a 5-3-2 formation. Oratmanguen and Struik are on the front two-top, and Jenner, Haye and Ferdinand are on the midfield. Walsh and Verdonk stood at wingback, and Lido, Ezzy and Herbner were the center backs. Paes defended the goal.

Saudi faced off with a 4-1-4-1 formation. Peras Al-Brikan was formed on the front line, and the second line was formed by Marwan Al Sahahi, Naser Al-Dausari, Mohammed Kanto and Mohammed. Faisal al-Gamdi is located in the third line, and the defense was built by Yasir al-Shah, Ali al-Bulaihi, Hasan al-Tambakti and Saud Abdulhamid. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Armed Al Casar.

Indonesia led the mood against Saudi Arabia by scoring the first goal from the first half. In the 32nd minute of the first half, Ferdinand finished with a right-footed shot from the front of the box after Orat Manguen passed over the defender from the left side of the penalty box. The ball, which flew sharply, hit the Saudi goal.

After the first run, the Saudis continued to struggle to make up. However, he failed to penetrate Indonesia's solid defense. In the extra time of the first half, Albrican's shot was caught in defense in front of the gate and went out of the goal. The first half ended with Indonesia's 1-0 lead.

In the second half, Indonesia also widened the gap by scoring first. In the 12th minute of the second half, Verdonk drove the ball forward into the box, fell, and attempted to pass, and was connected to Ferdinand. Ferdinand's first shot was blocked by defense, but he didn't lose his concentration and grabbed the ball again and pushed it back into the Saudi net.

Saudi Arabia, which allowed two goals, failed to close the gap despite their efforts. In the 44th minute of the second half, Huvner was sent off due to accumulated warnings, but Saudi Arabia's score did not explode until the second half's extra time. In the second half of extra time, Kano's mid-range shot hit the post and had to swallow the disappointment. In the end, the match ended with Indonesia's 2-0 victory.

Coach Shin Tae-yong said in a post-match interview, `I'm so grateful to the players. He played well as a team, especially the fans' support was extraordinary. It was a great help to the players by uniting with the fans. "The players did what we prepared well. I could have scored more goals, but I would like to say that I am grateful to the players for these results," he said in his victory speech.

As for turning from the existing 3-4-3 tactic to 3-5-2 "Saudi changed the system because of the good pressure, and three midfielders played well in the midfield of today's game. The players followed me well as I told them to" he explained.

Indonesia's Sepakbola also conveyed the atmosphere of the stadium, saying, `Indonesian fans shouted Shin Tae-yong's name and cheered enthusiastically.'

Meanwhile, head coach Shin Tae-yong had a shocking dismissal ahead of the match, perhaps due to his poor performance in the previous five games. Compared to Shin Tae-yong's performance in Indonesia, the hasty replacement public opinion was regrettable.

Coach Shin Tae-yong was appointed to the Indonesian national team in 2020 and transformed Indonesia's soccer itself for four years. At the Qatar Asian Cup in January, he made his first-ever advance to the tournament, and led the national team to Indonesia's dream stages from advancing to the final qualifying round of the 2024 Paris Olympics to the final qualifying round of the Olympics for the first time ever and the third qualifying round of Asia. Since then, head coach Shin Tae-yong has even renewed his contract, extending the contract period until 2027.

The atmosphere that all of these achievements seemed to be ignored poured out after the last game against Japan. At that time, Indonesia was completely defeated 0-4 against Japan, and Erik Tohir, chairman of the Indonesian Football Association, also said, `Not only coach Shin Tae-yong, but all coaching staff should be evaluated.' On social media, opinions and tags of 'STYOUT (Shin Tae-yong out)' were poured out, and local media were also not good at leading. He also pointed out that despite bringing in a large number of players, there is a great tactical regret, and the situation where he cannot escape from two consecutive losses is the worst.

However, coach Shin Tae-yong overcame all these criticisms and showed the result of winning against Saudi Arabia. Once again, it proved why Indonesia signed a contract to go further with coach Shin.

digh1229@sportschosun.com