Saudi Arabia has narrowly missed out on automatic qualification for the 2026 Saudi Arabia world cup after a 2-0 loss to Indonesia on Tuesday night. This leaves the Green Falcons at six points in the first half a dozen Asian qualifiers and their dream of earning a World Cup ticket via playoffs appears to be waning. Without star player Salem Al-Dawsari, Saudi Arabia failed to construct opportunities while Indonesia turned mistakes by the opponent into goal scoring opportunities. Here’s a breakdown of what happened during the match and what is foreseen for Saudi Arabia’s future in the World Cup.
Early Pressure from Indonesia
Right from the start the Indonesians came all gunning for Saudi Arabia world cup and pushing the latter onto the back foot. The first chance for the hosts came in the first minute when a free-kick from the right by Marselino Ferdinan tried to make a connection with a right-sided cross placed by Ivar Jenner, but the hit was against the post. Although this period belonged to the Saudis, who dominated in the possession, the Indonesians actively created more serious opportunities.
Indonesia’s Rafael Struick also had a golden opportunity in the ninth minute when he was clean through on goal, after a through ball from Thom Haye but was denied by the Arabian Saudi shot stopper Ahmed Al-Kassar. However, Al-Kassar had the biggest impact with the tide changing when he left the ball to make the score nil-nil.
Missed Opportunities for Saudi Arabia
The Green Falcons were mostly dominant in the first half but once more they looked bereft of ideas in the opponent’s penalty area. Lacking Salem Al-Dawsari, who was out of action because of an injury, the Saudi players could not create any outright opportunities. The line-up was missing the 2022 AFC Player of the Year Al-Dawsari, who is a crucial player for the team in attack.
Perhaps the only moment when the first half was heated was, Saudi Arabia believed that they had been fouled by Mohammed Al-Qahtani. The referee consulted the pitchside monitor and although Saudi fans expected a penalty against Indonesia only Justin Hubner received a yellow card. The match proceeded, but tensions were rising with the Green Falcons as Indonesia dominated play.
Marselino Breaks the Deadlock
Finally in the 32nd minute, Indonesia scored the first goal which was a deserving one. Though referring to some offside calls against Saudi Arabia, including the potential penalty shout, Indonesia Ragnar Oratmangoen did produce a great cross passing across the ball to Marselino, who was absolutely alone near the penalty arc. The 19-year-old then took his time to get closer to the ball and then put it past Al-Kassar into the far corner of the net. At Indonesia the stadium erupted as the fans jubilated after the factoring goal that placed the team ahead.
Struick could have easily doubled Indonesia’s lead minutes later from a one-on-one with the goalkeeper but he was unable to put the ball in the back of the net. However, Indonesia maintained discipline so well in the defensive areas and effectively prevented Saudi Arabia. The half expired with Indonesia being ahead and Saudi Arabia moving to the dressing room for resuscitation.
Saudi Arabia’s Continued Struggles
The second half kicked off with Saudi Arabia on the advance looking for the equalizing goal. To some extent they were able to apply some pressure and still could not breach Indonesia’s backline. On the other hand, Indonesia remained a menace on the counter. As it appeared Saudi Arabia were finally getting into the groove, tragedy was to rear its ugly head once again in the 54th minute.
It was Indonesia’s Calvin Verdonk who screened the right wing before sending a cross into the box and Marselino was waiting. His first try was denied by Saudi goalkeeper Ali Al-Bulaihi but the ball fell perfectly on the feet of Marselino who simply headed the ball over Al-Kassar to score a second goal for him. They scored this goal which more or less ensured the victory for Indonesia as Saudi Arabia was left with very little time in which to stage a comeback.
A Bleak Outlook for World Cup Qualification
This defeat puts Saudi Arabia’s World Cup participation dreams in the balance. Green Falcons have accumulated only six points after sixteen matches in the Group C. While Japan remains in the ultimate position with 16 points, Saudi Arabia and Australia Bahrain and Indonesia each occupy the second position with six points. Only four more encounters are left in the qualification stage, but the ways to the automatic qualification in Saudi Arabia are rather narrow.
After the match, nonplussed head coach, Hervé Renard, vilely said that things were extremely delicate for Central and was sorry to see Conglomeration surrendering axiomatically in a match whereby they let all their goats fly high. This shows that the remaining fixtures are crucial, given Renard’s determination to qualify the team to the World Cup come what may, from the route.
Conclusion: Can Saudi Arabia Turn It Around?
Now Saudi Arabia has lost 2-0 to Indonesia, their chances for going to the World Cup are severely dented. However, all is not lost yet. That is why, having four more games ahead of the team, the extreme difficulty of the path to the 2026 World Cup does not seem impossible for the Saudis to cover – they have the potential and abilities. Green Falcons are in a very difficult group, but head coach Hervé Renard will hope that his boys retrieve their form in the remaining games so that they attain their aim of qualification to the last 16.
