Iraq vs Indonesia result: 0-1 defeat, Garuda's chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup are over

Timnas Indonesia (Instagram/@timnasindonesia).

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team faced Iraq in the final match of Group B of the Fourth Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah, on Sunday, 12 October 2025, early in the morning WIB.

In the first five minutes, Iraq dominated and pressured Indonesia. They had several chances through free kicks and crosses. However, the Garuda Squad's defence remained disciplined in protecting their goal.

After that, Indonesia began to take control of the ball. In the eighth minute, Calvin Verdonk tried to threaten with a long-range shot, but it only resulted in a corner kick.

The corner kick nearly broke through Iraq's goal, but was still blocked by an Iraqi defender. Thom Haye's speculative shot also missed the target.

The Garuda Squad then had a golden opportunity in the 14th minute. Thom Haye charged into the penalty box and delivered a pull-back pass to the goalmouth.

Mauro Zijlstra failed to connect with the ball as he was blocked by an Iraqi defender. Mauro also failed to capitalise on a follow-up opportunity from a corner kick.

Patrick Kluivert's team then began to comfortably dominate the game. Indonesia patiently built up their attacks in an attempt to break down Iraq's tight defence.

Half an hour passed, and the Garuda squad still struggled to create chances. Thom Haye's efforts to create more attacks were not capitalised on by Mauro Zijlstra in the 34th minute.

Eliano Reijnders also had a chance to open the scoring. Unfortunately, Thom Haye's pull-back pass was not finished off perfectly by the Persib Bandung player.

Until the end of the first half, Indonesia dominated possession and did not give Iraq a chance to build attacks.

One of these was a direct free kick from Dean James that narrowly missed the left side of the Iraqi goalkeeper. Despite these efforts, no goals were scored before the break.

The first half ended goalless. Indonesia controlled the first half, taking seven shots. Iraq struggled and managed only two shots.

Continuing into the second half, Patrick Kluivert made some substitutions. Ricky Kambuaya was replaced by Ragnar Oratmangoen, before Ole Romeny replaced Mauro Zijlstra 10 minutes later.

At the start of the second half, both teams played more openly. Iraq began to break out of the pressure and was able to match possession in search of the opening goal.

The Indonesian national team, patiently building their attack, had a good chance in the 65th minute. Starting from a cross by Dean James that was cleared by an Iraqi defender, the loose ball was immediately met by Kevin Diks with a shot from inside the penalty area. However, his shot was saved by goalkeeper Jalal Hassan.

Miliano Jonathans was also brought on in the 65th minute to replace Eliano Reijnders to add to the attacking threat.

However, Indonesia's pressure began to wane as Iraq frequently threatened the defence of Jay Idzes and his teammates.

Sure enough, disaster struck in the 76th minute. Zidane Iqbal rattled the Indonesian net after unleashing a left-footed shot from outside the penalty box into a corner that was difficult for Maarten Paes to reach.

The opportunity arose after Rizky Ridho made a mistake by holding onto the ball too long in his own area, allowing an Iraqi player to steal it.

Trailing by one goal, Indonesia began to mount a threat. As an attack was being built in the 79th minute, an incident occurred.

Kevin Diks was fouled hard by Merchas Doski, who had the intention to injure him in the Iraqi defence area. The Indonesian players protested, including Patrick Kluivert.

Ironically, after a long debate led by captain Jay Idzes, the referee awarded a free kick to Iraq.

With 10 minutes of normal time remaining, more drama unfolded. Iraqi players wasted time by lingering during medical treatment.

Additionally, the referee's decision disappointed Indonesian national team supporters in the stands. To make matters worse, the yellow card shown to Ole Romeny in the 86th minute prompted supporters to throw various objects onto the pitch.

As a result, referee Ma Ning briefly stopped the match to consult with the match supervisor.

Jay Idzes was seen calming the supporters while throwing various items to the sidelines.

When the match resumed, Kluivert brought on Ramadhan Sananta and Nathan Tjoe-A-On to replace Joey Pelupessy and Dean James in search of a goal.

However, by the time normal time had expired, the anticipated goal had yet to arrive. The referee then added 11 minutes of injury time.

Iraq threatened through Ibrahim Bayesh in the 96th minute. However, his shot from a narrow angle was blocked by Maarten Paes.

In the remaining time, the Garuda Squad continued to press. Their chance came in the 98th minute when Zaid Tahseen received a second yellow card after elbowing Kevin Diks in the penalty box.

However, referee Ma Ning's decision was surprising. Instead of Indonesia being awarded a penalty in the incident, Kevin Diks was deemed to have committed a foul first against Tahseen for lifting his foot too high, resulting in a free kick for Iraq.

No further goals were scored until the match ended. Indonesia lost 0-1 to Iraq. The defeat closed the door on the Garuda Squad's chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup through the Fourth Round of Qualifiers.

The Indonesian national team finished bottom of Group B with two defeats. Moreover, the result also ended the Red-and-White Team's hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup, as they failed to secure a runner-up spot to advance to the Fifth Round.