REPUBLICA.CO.ID, QINGDAO -- Indonesia national coach Shin Tae-yong says defeat to China in the fourth match of the third round of the 2026 Asian World Cup qualifiers is not the end of everything. Indonesia lost 1-2 in the match held at Qingdao Youth Football Stadium on Tuesday (15/10/2024) that night.

“This is not the end of everything. We will have better preparation. In the next game, we can show a better performance,” the 54-year-old said at a post-season press conference on Tuesday.

With six matches remaining, Shin assesses his chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup to pursue the target of finishing in third and fourth place in the third round in order to keep the remaining tickets in the fourth round wide open. This is because Indonesia, which is fifth in the standings while with three points, is only two points away from the three teams in fourth to second place populated by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.

Even this distance of points also makes the chance of automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup as the group top or group runner-up in the third round is still very likely for Indonesia. Furthermore, Shin said there was a factor of his team's unluck swallowing defeat against China after appearing dominant with 74 per cent possession of the ball and also excelling in the creation of chances with 14 shots of which six were on target.

“We didn't play well against Bahrain, especially in terms of ball possession. After the game against Bahrain, we reflected on our regular game, and we tried to improve some things,” he said.

“We practiced how we played against China, and the game was the way we wanted it to be. We will do our best, and we will make more efforts to get better,” he continued.

This result saw the hosts end a poor run of results after losing three matches. On the other hand, for Indonesia, this defeat broke the positive results of three draws in the first three matches against Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bahrain.

This defeat did not change the team's second place in Group C. Indonesia remained fifth with three points, ahead of China on goal difference at the bottom of the standings with the same collection of points. Japan, who played out a 1-1 draw against Australia at Saitama Stadium today, still lead the standings with 10 points.

Indonesia's struggles in Group C will resume in November. On November 14, Shin Tae-yong's troops will host the top of the standings, Japan. Then on November 19, Indonesia will host another Asian giant, Saudi Arabia.

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