Learning From Australia, Menpora Believes The Indonesian National Team Is More Observational Against Bahrain

Menpora Dito Ariteedjo is optimistic that the Indonesian national team will win against Bahrain (doc. Kemenpora).

JAKARTA - The Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, believes that the Indonesian National Team (Timnas) has learned from the 1-5 defeat against Australia so that they can appear more mature against Bahrain.

"Certainly after the match against Australia, the coach and team conducted an evaluation. We hope to see a more mature formation than before," said Dito Ariotedjo on the official website of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The Minister of Youth and Sports further believes that the coach of the Indonesian national team, Patrick Kluivert, and his team must have evaluated the previous defeat, so he hopes for the best results against Bahrain.

He was optimistic that the Garuda Squad could beat Bahrain after the first meeting at Bahrain headquarters in October 2024 which ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Minister of Youth and Sports also invited all Indonesian people to continue to provide support to the Garuda Squad in order to win in the crucial match against Bahrain.

"Come on, the community will continue to support the Indonesian national team, especially later on March 25, 2025 against Bahrain," said the Menpora.

The Indonesian national team will host Bahrain at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, after losing 1-5 when they travel to Australia headquarters on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

After losing to Australia, Indonesia is now in fourth place (6 points) in Group C standings for the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers, below Saudi Arabia (9 points), Australia (10 points), and Japan (19 points).

Jay Idzes and his friends are still playing two more matches when they host China on June 5, 2025 and travel to Japanese headquarters on June 10, 2025 after facing Bahrain.