KBRN, Jakarta: The Indonesian soccer national team secured a crucial three points with a 1-0 victory over China in their Group C match of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, on Thursday night local time, June 5, 2025.

Indonesia took the lead thanks to a penalty conversion by Ole Romeny just before the end of the first half, antaranews.com reported.

With this win, Indonesia climbed to third place in the standings with 12 points, while China dropped to the bottom with six points.

The match’s first opportunity came in the second minute when Thom Haye intercepted a pass from China and delivered the ball to Ricky Kambuaya. Kambuaya advanced towards the penalty area and fired a shot that went wide of the left post.

China responded two minutes later with a counterattack, culminating in a shot from Yudong Wang that missed the target.

The game remained tightly contested for the first 15 minutes. Romeny posed a consistent threat to China, registering four chances in the 20th-minute range. However, none of his attempts resulted in a goal.

Indonesia earned a penalty in the 40th minute after Ricky Kambuaya was fouled by Zexiang Yang inside the box. Uzbek referee Rustam Lutfullin reviewed the incident via VAR before awarding the spot kick. Romeny stepped up as the taker and converted successfully, giving Indonesia a 1-0 lead.

The first half ended with Indonesia maintaining their advantage.

Goalkeeper Emil Audero made a spectacular save early in the second half, in the 48th minute. He parried Yudong Wang’s long-range shot aimed at the bottom-left corner.

As the game’s tempo slowed, Indonesia managed to create two dangerous chances in the 78th minute. Beckham Putra, who replaced Yakob Sayuri, made an incisive run before passing to Romeny.

Romeny fired a shot that Wang Dalei managed to block. The rebound fell back to Romeny, but his second attempt went off target.

China struggled to build effective attacks, with Indonesia’s defensive trio - Jay Idzes, Rizky Ridho, and Justin Hubner - successfully shutting down multiple threats. Six minutes of added time were given, but Indonesia held onto their 1-0 lead until the final whistle. ***

Lineups:

Indonesia (3-4-2-1): Emil Audero; Jay Idzes, Rizky Ridho, Justin Hubner, Calvin Verdonk, Yakob Sayuri (Beckham Putra 73'); Thom Haye (Kevin Diks 73'), Joey Pelupessy, Ricky Kambuaya (Ivar Jenner 82'), Egy Maulana (Stefano Lilipaly 82'), Ole Romeny (Ramadhan Sananta 88').

Coach: Patrick Kluivert.

China (4-3-2-1): Wang Dalei; Hu Hetao, Zhu Chenjie (Wei Zhen 84'), Han Pengfei (Tyias Browning 46'), Yang Zexiang; Wang Shangyuan, Sai Erjiniao, Xu Haoyang (Liu Chengyu 46'), Cao Yongjing (Shihao Wei 62'); Zhang Yuning (Wang Ziming 74'), Wang Yudong.

Coach: Branko Ivankovic.