“We studied and arranged for the opponents’ playing style before the game. As I’ve said before, we are facing injuries with three key players out but we made the right arrangements and the players gave full play to the technical and tactical requirements to win,” said Ivankovic. “The victory has relieved pressure and given the whole team more confidence.

“Wu Lei hasn’t trained for over 20 days, yet he came to the team, sat on the bench, and was ready to play if needed. That reflects the unity and determination of this group.”

China PR’s win has revived their hopes of at least a top four finish but Ivankovic stressed the importance of focusing on the next match against Bahrain. 

“There are still many games to play, and we need to prepare for Bahrain next.”

Indonesia head coach Shin Tae-yong expressed pride in his team’s performance and remained  optimistic despite the Southeast Asian suffering defeat after three successive draws.  

“Congrats to China for the win, but I think both sides showed the desire to win,” said Shin. “The first goal we conceded was due to a lapse in concentration, and the second was our mistake when we had the ball. We will look to improve on these.

“This is not the end. We will prepare better and be in better conditions for the coming games.”

Indonesia face the daunting task of hosting Japan next on November 15, with the Group C leaders sitting five points clear at the top with six matches remaining.