JAKARTA - The Indonesian men's volleyball national team (national team) successfully won a dramatic victory over Qatar during the second match of the AVC Men's Volleyball Cup 2026 group stage. It was the first victory for the Garuda Squad in the tournament.
Indonesia played a fierce match and closed it with a score of 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 32-30, 25-27, and 15-13) on Monday, June 26, 2026, WIB evening. This victory opens the opportunity for Indonesia to reach the semifinals of the tournament.
Loudry Maspaitella as the Indonesian National Team Manager said that the courage of the coach, Reidel Toiran, to include young players when the team had difficulty breaking through the opponent's defense was one of the keys to this victory.
"Appreciation for the children and coaches. We played better than yesterday against South Korea. Toiran is a brave coach. When the first set was difficult to penetrate the opponent, he replaced it with a young player," he said, quoted from an official statement.
Almost throughout the match, Toiran decided to play Alfin Daniel, Farhan Halim, Hendra Kurniawan, Raden Gumilar, Fauzan Nibras, and Boy Arnez as starters.
Alfin, Nibras, and Gumilar entered in the middle of the first set to replace Jasen Kilanta, Rama Fazza Fauzan, and Tedi Oka. Nibras - who is only 18 years old - even scored 32 points, the most of any other Indonesian player.
Loudry said that Indonesia's comeback in the second set was the turning point that made him confident that Indonesia was able to overcome Qatar's resistance.
"I was optimistic at that time. The players played freely, there was no pressure. Beyond that, I assess that there is no limit to the relationship between juniors and seniors, no hesitation. The relationship between young and senior players is so good," he said.
Indonesia started the match poorly after conceding 21-25 in the first set. However, the game began to improve in the second set and managed to tie the score after winning 25-22.
The competition was getting tighter in the third set. Both teams took turns leading until a prolonged deuce. Indonesia finally won the set with a score of 32-30 and turned ahead of the opponent.
Qatar did not give up easily. The team from the Middle East forced the match to continue to the fifth set after winning the fourth set with a score that was no less dramatic.
In the deciding set, Indonesia was able to maintain focus and appear calmer in crucial points. The resistance provided by Qatar was successfully broken so that Garuda finally ensured its victory.
The victory over Qatar also maintains Indonesia's chances of advancing to the next phase after the opening match had to admit South Korea with a score of 0-3. Currently, the Garuda Squad has collected two points and is still sitting at the bottom of the Group B standings.
Nibras and his colleagues will then meet Thailand and Oman. Both matches are crucial for Indonesia because only the two best teams from each group are entitled to advance to the semifinals.
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