REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia goalkeeper Emil Audero admitted that he does not feel nervous ahead of his debut with Garuda team against China at Gelora Bung Karno Utama Stadium (SUGBK), Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday (5/6/2025) at 20:45pm.
In the ninth match of Group C of the Third Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifying Zone Asia Zone, Emil had a chance to earn his debut after leading goalkeeper Maarten Paes was absent due to a yellow card accumulation penalty.
According to Emil, the chance of a debut made him happy. He said he was preparing for this match as usual.
“I focused on training, and all my friends had a really good training session,” Emil said when he met the media crew at a national training session at Madya Stadium, Senayan, Jakarta on Monday (2/6/2025).
Emil has been included in Indonesia's line-up for two matches in March against Australia and Bahrain. However, at that time he only sat on the bench because Patrick Kluivert preferred Maarten as goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper, born in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, was included in the 28 Indonesian national squad that attended training in Bali since Monday last week.
When asked how he reacted following the centering of that training exercise, the 28-year-old goalkeeper welcomed it positively. During the concentration of those exercises, he noticed many developments, including about the chemistry within the team.
“Of course, we have seen the progress. If we compare it with the last time in March, of course, we do not have much time. A lot of new players, plus me,” he explained.
“Coach, too, it's a first for him. I think yesterday in Bali, we had the opportunity to train and get to know each other well. Of course, time helps us to get more information about our teammates,” he added.
Emil, who this season played 15 times defending Palermo in Serie B, will have to compete with three other goalkeepers to be a starter. The three goalkeepers were Ernando Ari, Nadeo Argawinata, and Reza Arya.
Garuda's team will play the final two matches of 2026 World Cup qualifying third round Group C against China and Japan. After fighting China, in the next five days, Indonesia will be away to Japan to face the Asian giant on Tuesday (10/6/2025) at 17:35pm.
Currently, Indonesia is fourth in the provisional standings with a collection of nine points. They lead by three points from Bahrain and China who are in fifth and sixth place.
In fourth place, Indonesia is one point behind Saudi Arabia in third place, four points behind Australia in second place, and 11 points behind Japan in first place.
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