Indonesia vs Bulgaria results: Garuda must be satisfied with the runner-up of the 2026 FIFA Series, losing 0-1

The Indonesian national team when facing Bulgaria in the 2026 FIFA Series final (Instagram/@timnasindonesia).

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team had to settle for runner-up in the FIFA Series after losing in the final against Bulgaria with a score of 0-1 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Monday, March 30, 2026, WIB evening.

The Indonesian national team started the match well. The brand was able to match the Bulgarian game through a scheme that took advantage of the width of the field.

The Garuda squad several times managed to reach the opponent's defense area, but still failed to penetrate the penalty box.

The disciplined game that Bulgaria demonstrated made the Indonesian National Team difficult to create opportunities. In addition to being disciplined, the opponent also defended more under and relied on counterattacks to try to threaten the Garuda Squad's goal.

After half an hour of the match going without a goal as both teams were still disciplined in defending, disaster came for John Herdman's team.

In the 35th minute, referee Nazmi Nasaruddin checked VAR to check Kevin Diks' contact with Zdravko Dimitrov in the penalty box. From the review, the referee decided that Diks violated Dimitrov and awarded a penalty to Bulgaria.

The penalty in the 38th minute was taken by Marin Petkov. The execution of the 22-year-old player went to the right side of the Indonesian goal and failed to be anticipated by goalkeeper Emil Audero.

Bulgaria then managed to slow down the 1-0 lead until halftime.

Entering the second half, the Indonesian National Team again took control of the ball to look for a tying goal. The entry of Eliano Reijnders replacing Ragnar Oratmangoen brought a fresh wind.

The attack he blocked with Kevin Diks managed to penetrate the penalty box. Unfortunately, the Persib Bandung player's shot could still be blocked by the Bulgarian defender.

Several times the Indonesian National Team managed to get into the heart of Bulgaria's defense, but the final pass that was not on target made the opportunity wasted.

The opportunity for gold came in the 72nd minute. A long pass from his own territory immediately led to Ole Romeny who managed to break free from the opponent's guard.

He immediately lofted the ball past the goalkeeper, but unfortunately the ball hit the crossbar.

The Garuda squad continued to press throughout the rest of the time. Doni Tri Pamungkas, who just entered in the 73rd minute, could trouble the Bulgarian defense line.

He managed to pass two opponents on the left side of the attack before sending a cross inside the penalty area. However, the ball was swept away by the Bulgarian defender before it reached Ole Romeny.

John Herdman then brought in Beckham Putra - who scored two goals in the Garuda Squad's 4-0 victory over Saint Kitts and Nevis - in the 10th minute of normal time to add power.

However, the Indonesian National Team almost missed the goal of equalizing the score. Vladimir Nikolov managed to pass Elkan Baggott to face Emil Audero. Fortunately, the goalkeeper managed to block the low ball that was released.

Until the end of the time, the Indonesian National Team's attacks often hit the solid defense of Bulgaria. Asa was open in the 87th minute when the corner kick produced several opportunities.

After the corner kick was successfully kicked away, the Garuda Squad regained control of the ball. Rizky Ridho received a breakthrough ball in the penalty box and fired a left foot shot. However, goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov managed to parry.

The ball then soared and headed towards the goal. Unfortunately, again the goalpost thwarted the Indonesian national team's golden opportunity to equalize.

In the four minutes of injury time, the Garuda Squad did not give up to open the goal tap. A number of threats were launched into the Bulgarian penalty box, but none of them bore fruit.

The Indonesian national team had to settle for runner-up in the 2026 FIFA Series with a 0-1 defeat in the final against Bulgaria.

List of Players

Indonesia: Emil Audero, Kevin Diks, Jay Idzes, Rizky Ridho, Justin Hubner, Calvin Verdonk, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Joey Pelupessy, Ragnar Oratmangoen, Ole Romeny, Ramadhan Sananta

Coach: John Herdman

Bulgaria: Dimitar Mitov, Teodor Ivanov, Andrian Kraev, Zdravko Dimitrov, Filip Krastev, Petko Hristov, Marin Petkov, Martin Minchev, Martin Georgiev, Dimitar Velkovski, Christian Stoyanov

Coach: Aleksandar Dimitrov