“So far, we have to fill 60 points and 40 points in the remaining six games.”
Shin Tae-yong (54), the Indonesian coach, said, “It was a half success,” looking back at the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup.
Coach Shin, who recently returned home from an away game in China, told a reporter after a professional basketball trial at Goyang Sono Arena on the 28th, “I could have given a perfect score if I had finished the match against Bahrain and China well. Two points were stolen in the match against Bahrain, and China said it was an away game, but it should have been drawn at least. I’m glad that Indonesia is doing better than I expected.”
Shin, who arrived in Indonesia in 2009, is dreaming of making his first attempt at a World Cup finals since the 1938 World Cup in France in the third qualifying round for the North-China World Cup. To achieve this dream, Shin must make a breakthrough.
Indonesia, which is ranked 130th in the FIFA rankings, has been assigned to Group C, which is dubbed the “Group of Death” in the third qualifying round, and is battling strong teams including Japan (15th), Australia (24th), Saudi Arabia (59th), Bahrain (76th) and China (92nd). Fortunately, the score sheet is not bad until the third to fourth qualifying rounds in October, just before the halfway point.
Indonesia is ranking fifth in Group C after a series of draws with Saudi Arabia (1-1 draw), Australia (0-0 draw), and Bahrain (2-2 draw) and losing to China 1-2 in an away match. In the third qualifying round, the first and second places in each group will go straight to the World Cup finals, while the third and fourth places will compete for the remaining 2.5 tickets in the fourth qualifying round.
“Our goal was to make a narrow breakthrough through the fourth qualifying round rather than passing the third qualifying round right from the beginning,” coach Shin said. “Since the national team has been formed around young players, I feel that the more we play, the more competitive we become.”
In order for Shin to achieve his goal, he needs to earn points in the fifth and sixth games to be held at his home turf in November. It is a burdensome schedule to face Saudi Arabia, which has recently changed its head coach after playing its first match against Japan, which is leading the team overwhelmingly with three wins and one draw.
“In fact, Japan has strong capabilities that it cannot beat, but I know how to deal with it since I was an active player. Saudi Arabia is a team that deserves a win at home,” Shin said. “It is hard for Saudi Arabia to suddenly change just because of the recent appointment of coach Herve Renard. If Saudi Arabia tries not to let its players take advantage of its unique rhythm, it will have a chance to win.” He added, “Saudi Arabia is an opponent that deserves a win rather than Australia, which has strong physical strength of its players from the beginning of the draw.”
Shin stressed that support from Korean residents in Indonesia is a big help. “About 2,000 Koreans have decided to support the match against Japan, which will take place in Indonesia on November 15. From Indonesia’s point of view, Koreans will be surprised to see that they are cheering even though it is not a Korean game.” 안전놀이터
Shin lowered his goal to advance to the fourth qualifying round, but his goal may be more than that. If he fills up 40 points, which is insufficient from the narrow 60 points he gave himself, he may cause an upset in the third qualifying round.
“I haven’t forgotten the reality in Indonesia,” Shin said, but vowed that “our original goal was to defeat China and Bahrain. But if we can catch Saudi Arabia, we will have no idea. I believe in the saying that the soccer ball is round.”