IDNAround.com – Indonesia remains unbeaten in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, continuing to show they can compete with Asia’s elite. After impressive draws against Saudi Arabia and Australia—both of whom featured in the last World Cup—Indonesia’s journey continued with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Bahrain on Thursday. Ranked 53 places higher than Indonesia, Bahrain was expected to dominate, but the visitors almost pulled off a historic win.
Bahrain took the lead in the 15th minute with a stunning 35-yard freekick from Mohamed Marhoon, putting them ahead at halftime after controlling the first half. However, in stoppage time, Indonesia equalized when a deflected ball fell to Ragnar Oratmangoen, who made no mistake from close range.
While Indonesia may have been fortunate to go into halftime level, their second-half performance was inspired. They displayed more attacking intent than Bahrain, who unexpectedly lost momentum after the break. Indonesia capitalized on this shift and looked set to complete a remarkable comeback in the 74th minute when Rafael Struick curled a beautiful shot into the far corner, putting Indonesia ahead.
As the game reached its final minutes, Indonesia’s defense, led by captain Jay Idzes in only his sixth appearance, stood firm under intense pressure from Bahrain. But in a heartbreaking turn of events, Bahrain found an equalizer deep into added time. In the 99th minute, Marhoon scored his second goal, poking the ball in from a yard out after a flick-on from a corner. This dramatic late goal sparked controversy, as Indonesia was left frustrated that the match continued beyond the six minutes of stoppage time initially signaled.
The scenes that followed were chaotic, with an Indonesian official being sent off from the bench amid the protests. Despite the draw being a respectable result on paper—especially considering Bahrain had previously defeated Australia—Indonesia’s disappointment was palpable, as they were just moments away from a historic victory.
Nonetheless, Indonesia once again demonstrated their resilience and ability to challenge higher-ranked opponents. With their next match against China—who have lost all three of their games in the qualifiers—Indonesia will be eager to finally secure that elusive first win in the third round and make history.
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