The Indonesian team brought on players considered the best with the ambition to win against Iraq. The Southeast Asian representative has no way back in the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup after losing to Saudi Arabia in the first match.
Coach Patrick Kluivert and his team made many people regret what happened in the first 45 minutes. They are the ones with better ball retention rates, good control of the game and prevent Iraq from having many dangerous counter-attacks. Unfortunately, that advantage was not concretized by a goal.
In the 33rd minute, Reijnders' shot hit the crossbar of the Iraq goal. This was the most notable opportunity of the first half. However, Ricky Kambuya and Thom Haye still had some notable finishing situations. But the Indonesian team was not really sharp in finishing and had to pay a heavy price.
In the second half, coach Graham Arnold decided to make a change when Zidan Iqbal - a former Man United midfielder - was brought on. This adjustment has been effective. The Iraq team played much better with a European-class star in the middle of the field.
In the 76th minute, receiving a pass from Amyn, Zidan Iqbal himself passed the Indonesian player before firing a dangerous shot from outside the penalty area to open the score for Iraq.
With no way back, the team from the archipelago rushed forward to attack, but psychological pressure caused their moves to be inaccurate.
Iraq lost a player for a few minutes of extra time due to a red card, but that was not enough for Indonesia to regain at least 1 point. In the end, the Indonesian team lost 0-1 and officially ran out of opportunities for the 2026 World Cup.
