The Indonesian national team suffered a 5-1 defeat against Australia in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Asian Zone on March 20, 2025 at the Sydney Football Stadium. The result has led to sharp criticism of new head coach Patrick Kluivert and comparisons with his predecessor, Shin Tae-yong (STY).
Although it may be too early to make an overall judgement, data suggests that the Shin Tae-yong era has produced better statistics in this competition.
Comparison with the Shin Tae-yong Era
The heavy 5-1 loss to Australia on March 20, 2025 was a significant blow to the Indonesian national team, especially considering that the team is now under the leadership of a new coach who was initially seen as a beacon of hope. The result is Indonesia's second-biggest defeat in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, following a 4-0 loss to Japan at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium during STY's tenure.
However, when looking back at Shin Tae-yong's time in charge, there are several notable achievements that cannot be overlooked.
Under STY's leadership, Indonesia managed to hold Australia to a goalless draw at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on September 10, 2024. At that time, Australia fielded their strongest team with key players and star names. In contrast, the Australian team that faced Indonesia on the last night was missing many of its key players due to injury.
Throughout the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Asian Zone, the Indonesian team under STY played six matches, recording 2 wins (33.3%), 3 draws (50%) and only 1 loss (16.7%). Over the course of the competition, Indonesia scored 9 goals and conceded 9 goals, reflecting a balance between offense and defense.
Indonesia's journey in the second round of qualifying was also impressive. Victories over Vietnam and the Philippines propelled the Garuda into the third round. However, the challenges intensified at this stage, as evidenced by a 4-0 loss to Japan, which highlighted a gap in quality that still needs to be bridged.
However, draws against Australia and Saudi Arabia, as well as an important 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia, demonstrated the team's growing competitiveness under Shin Tae-yong's leadership.
In addition, Indonesia saw a significant improvement in their FIFA ranking, rising from 173rd in December 2019 to 127th in December 2024.
Reasons Behind the Coaching Change
If one of the main reasons behind Shin Tae-yong's dismissal and Patrick Kluivert's appointment was language and communication factors, then theoretically this issue should have been resolved by now.
With Kluivert's fluency in English and experience in various top European leagues, it was expected that his strategies and instructions would be more easily understood and effectively implemented by the players on the field.
In reality, however, Indonesia still suffered a crushing 5-1 defeat to Australia. This has raised serious questions among local football fans.
Another key reason for Shin Tae-yong's dismissal was the perceived need for stronger leadership to achieve the ambitious goal of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup Asian Zone. But after Indonesia's crushing defeat, that dream now looks increasingly elusive.
Match Recap: Indonesia vs. Australia (March 20, 2025)
Indonesia had a golden opportunity to take the lead early in the match through a penalty awarded after Rafael Struick was fouled by Kye Rowles. However, Kevin Diks' penalty attempt went wide as the ball hit the post.
Australia took control of the match after the missed penalty. They opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a penalty kick from Martin Boyle. Nishan Velupillay doubled Australia's lead just two minutes later. Jackson Irvine added a third goal in the 34th minute to make it 3-0 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, Lewis Miller scored Australia's fourth goal in the 61st minute. Indonesia managed to reduce the deficit through a goal by Ole Romeny in the 78th minute. However, Jackson Irvine scored his second goal in the 90th minute to seal a 5-1 victory for Australia.
The defeat dropped Indonesia to fifth place in Group C of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Asian Zone with six points. Meanwhile, Australia strengthened their position in second place with ten points, behind group leaders Japan.
