RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian men’s field hockey team opened their 2026 Asian Games qualification campaign with a narrow 4-3 win over Hong Kong, but concerns over consistency remain despite the positive result.

Head coach Muhammad Dhaarma Raj said his team’s performance in the Pool A opener at the Royal Thai Air Force Hockey Field in Bangkok on Thursday, April 2, 2026, was far from optimal, citing repeated mistakes throughout the match.

“Overall, our performance was not at its best and we made several repeated errors. But this opening win is important,” he said in an official statement, as quoted by Antara.

The victory is notable given the gap in world rankings, with Hong Kong ranked 41st globally compared to Indonesia’s 68th. “We know the ranking difference between Indonesia and Hong Kong is quite large, with a gap of 27 places,” Dhaarma Raj added.

Indonesia’s captain Aulia Akbar Al Ardh led the charge with two goals, while Khaerulloh Akmal and Fadli Muhamad each added one. Hong Kong responded through goals by Yan Kwan Cheung, Pak Ko Parco Au, and Farman Ali, keeping the match tightly contested.

The win places Indonesia at the top of Pool A with three points, ahead of Kazakhstan and Thailand, who shared points after drawing their opening match.

Indonesia will next face Oman on Friday, April 3, followed by Kazakhstan on Sunday, April 5, and Thailand on Monday, April 6. Dhaarma Raj emphasized that the team will continue evaluating its performance to improve consistency in upcoming matches.

“We will keep evaluating and aim to perform better in the next games,” he concluded. ***