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| EPAYonhap News |
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| Source=Shin Tae-yong Instagram |
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Australian media compared the Indonesian national soccer team to Son Heung-min's team Tottenham Hotspur.
The Indonesian version of CNN reported on the 17th (Korea time) that the Australian media 'The Lower' analyzed the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup, saying 'The Indonesian national team is like Tottenham's national version'.
There were not a few specific reasons. In order to emphasize that Indonesia made a splash in the World Cup qualifiers, it seems to have targeted Tottenham, which always challenges the top four strongholds in the English Premier League (EPL).
As of the sixth round of the third round of the World Cup qualifying round, Indonesia has one win, three draws, two losses, and six points, ranking third in a surprise match after Japan (16 points) and Australia (7 points). They have the same points as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and China with six points, but they are ahead of each other in points difference and multiple points.
It is a surprising result considering that Indonesia's FIFA ranking is 134th among the 18 teams that participated in the third qualifying round, second only to Kuwait (137th). In the most recent November match, Indonesia beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 at home.
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| 신태용 감독 SNS |
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It is difficult to understand what happens in 'The Lower' (the Indonesian national team nickname). The team performed unexpectedly well, scoring six points in the sixth round of the third World Cup qualifying round. The victory over Saudi Arabia was clearly the highlight of the team's performance. 'The team has been strengthened by the newly naturalised Dutch player'
Australia currently ranks second in the third qualifying round, but they cannot be wary of Indonesia because they have only one point. On March 20, Australia will bring Indonesia home to play Game 7.
However, Indonesia, which had been causing a sensation, suddenly replaced Shin Tae-yong and appointed Patrick Clawybert from the Netherlands this month. The Mitsubishi Cup, which Indonesia failed to advance to the semifinals, was cited as the main reason for the replacement.
"'The Roar' said that while Indonesia performed poorly in the ASEAN Championship, optimism was not dampened because Indonesia, unlike World Cup qualifiers, could not include some of its key players in the last tournament, putting in a much weaker squad.' The decision shocked many Indonesians who admired Shin Tae-yong. Not surprisingly, they reacted furiously to the dismissal. Afterwards, Clawyberd arrived in Indonesia with boos.
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| EPAYonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Coach Shin attended the '2025 Businessmen' Day" event in Jakarta hosted by the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia on the 15th and announced that the Indonesian Football Association issued a notice of dismissal at 9:40 a.m. on the 6th and a new coach would come at 12 a.m. I didn't understand it in common sense, but I humbly accepted it."
He took the helm of Indonesia in 2020 and wrote a new history, such as advancing to the third qualifying round of the Indonesian national team's first World Cup, saying, "I've been in Indonesia for five years and I've done very well. I'm proud of myself. "I'm going back with a lot of pride because I'm leaving a lot of roots in Indonesian soccer."
In a farewell message left on his personal SNS earlier, coach Shin cheered that his Indonesian disciples also hoped to advance to the World Cup finals for the first time.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
