REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SURABAYA, — The captain of the Indonesian national team, Jay Idzes, insists that there are no friendly matches for his team because of the ambition to always win. This statement was made after the FIFA Match Day match against Lebanon which ended in a 0-0 draw at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya on Monday.
“No friendly matches, sorry. We want to win every game. We want to dominate,” Italian Serie A player Sassuolo told a post-match press conference at the GBT Stadium on Monday.
Idzes added that although the Indonesian national team is still in the learning stage with some new players and staff, they still have a vision and plan to always achieve victory.
The match against Lebanon, ranked 112 in the world, was tough from the start. The opposing team received five yellow cards for their aggressive play. Idzes, the only Indonesian player to receive a yellow card, stated that Lebanon “have a game plan”. He also stressed the importance of keeping matches clean, especially ahead of two crucial matches next month.
Field Stats noted that Lebanon focused on defending with just 19 percent ball possession and four shots, one of them on target. Meanwhile, the Indonesian national team dominated with 81 percent of the ball possession, higher than during the 6-0 win over Taiwan with 69 percent. Nevertheless, of the nine shots fired, none were on target.
After these two games, Indonesia will move on to Saudi Arabia for the fourth round of the Asian zone's 2026 World Cup Qualifier against hosts Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
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