Indonesia shows again that it can compete against the top Asian teams

There were only 18 seconds on the clock when Indonesia almost took the lead against Australia had opposing goalkeeper Mathew Ryan not made two skillful saves in quick succession.

They had already won three corners before the third minute had elapsed and their bigger opponents seemed baffled by the enormous pressure they were under in the early stages.

And although Australia eventually steadied themselves, even deep into injury time – when an acceptable draw for Indonesia would have been entirely possible – they were still searching for a winner as Pratama Arhan opted for a long throw-in into the crowded opposition penalty area rather than attempting to play out the rest of the game.

In the end, there was no winner in the thrilling 0-0 draw in front of a sold-out crowd at the 85,000-seat Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

But Indonesia maintained their unbeaten start to the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with another impressive draw against much higher-ranked opponents, showing once again that they can compete with the continent’s best.

Just five days earlier, Indonesian football had enjoyed one of its most famous nights: a 1-1 away draw against Saudi Arabia, a team ranked 77 places higher in the FIFA rankings than Indonesia, ranked 133rd in the world.

Another tough test lay ahead on Tuesday: Australia, ranked 24th in the world, are desperate to bounce back from a shock 1-0 opening loss to Bahrain and had spoken before the match of giving their best against the underdogs – who they beat 4-0 at the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year.

But if there was one team that seemed ready to fight from the kick-off, it was Indonesia.

Sandy Walsh and Calvin Verdonk positioned themselves adventurously high in their full-back positions, while the three strikers Ragnar Oratmangoen, Marselino Ferdinan and Rafael Struick kept the Socceroos’ defense constantly on its toes with their fluid movements and interplay.

At times, the hosts even had 60% possession – something that would normally have been unthinkable.

Still, there is a reason Australia are one of the best teams in Asian football. They weathered the early storm, fought their way back into the game and then took the upper hand.

Despite all this, Indonesia was able to maintain its position.

The returning Justin Hubner joined the back five, allowing Verdonk to move to the left and Nathan Tjoe-A-On to the engine room for additional power.

Against the dynamic Jackson Irvine and the inventive Keanu Baccus, Tjoe-A-On and Ivar Jenner proved to be equal opponents in an exciting midfield battle.

And as the game progressed, Indonesia’s new strength became apparent.

Arhan and Witan Sulaeman, both previously important pillars of the starting eleven, were brought into the reserves this time along with Thom Haye – for him it is a real luxury to have an Eredivisie veteran in the starting blocks.

Indonesia somehow emerged from a seemingly hopeless first matchday in the so-called “group of death” of the third round of Asian qualification and picked up two valuable points.

All of a sudden, coach Shin Tae-Yong’s goal of finishing in the top four – which would at least put Indonesia in the next round – no longer seems far-fetched.

But Indonesia still has a lot of work to do. Now that they have managed to score a few draws, it’s time to go one step further and get some wins. And there seems to be no better opportunity in October when they face Bahrain and China, games that are seen – on paper at least – as the teams most likely to win.

For now, Indonesia can look back on its achievements over the past week with some satisfaction – and take comfort in its future endeavours that it can indeed compete with Asia’s elite.