Even though he lost to Bulgaria, Herdman saw positive developments for the Indonesian national team.

JAKARTA - Indonesia national team coach John Herdman assessed that the narrow defeat against Bulgaria still left a number of positive things, especially in terms of performance and the development of the team's game.

In a press conference after the 2026 FIFA Series final match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Monday, March 30, 2026, Herdman said the Garuda Squad had shown a strong commitment to the identity of the game that was being built even though the final result was not in their favor.

"From tonight's performance (against Bulgaria), I think we can take positive things. I see this as a collective effort."

"We are committed to a high level of physicality and our style of play, but in the end we haven't achieved results," Herdman said.

In that match, the Indonesian National Team had to admit Bulgaria's advantage with a score of 0-1 through Marin Petkov's penalty in the 35th minute. Even though they were dominant and aggressive throughout the match, the Garuda Squad had not managed to convert a number of opportunities into goals.

Herdman also assessed that the match was actually under the control of his team. He emphasized that at this level, effectiveness is the main differentiator.

"When you perform at that level and the game is in your grasp, you have to be able to win it. Tonight should have been a victory for Indonesia," said Herdman.

However, the English coach still appreciated his team's way of controlling the game, especially when facing opponents from Europe who are known to have physical strength and experience at a high level.

"Against a European team like Bulgaria, I think we were able to control the midfield throughout the game. There was a lot of connectivity in our game. The players showed a good understanding of the system," he said.

In addition, the former Canadian coach highlighted the maturity of the tactics that began to form, including the team's flexibility in adopting two different game systems in the last two matches.

"We ask the players to dare to adapt to a new style and they show it. This flexibility is important for the team's future development," he said.

On an individual level, Herdman briefly praised the performance of Calvin Verdonk who was considered to have stood out and played an important role in controlling the tempo of the game.

"I'm proud of Calvin tonight. He performed at the highest level and deserves more," he said.

This result makes the Indonesian National Team have to be content with being the runner-up of the 2026 FIFA Series, as well as being a material for evaluation for the coaching team to increase effectiveness, especially in the attacking line.