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Kluivert applauds Indonesia’s progress

Kluivert applauds Indonesia’s progress

Jakarta: Patrick Kluivert praised his players’ discipline and belief after Indonesia booked their place in the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 Playoffs with a 1-0 victory over China PR on Thursday.
Ole Romenij’s first half penalty proved decisive in the Group C tie at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, with Indonesia’s progression to the playoffs - where an additional two tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be at stake - confirmed after Bahrain’s 2-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia.
#AsianQualifiers - Road To 26 | Group C : Indonesia 1 - 0 China PR

#AsianQualifiers - Road To 26 | Group C : Indonesia 1 - 0 China PR

Kluivert was pleased with how his side executed their game plan, crediting their performance to their recent training camp in Bali.

“Very happy with the performance. The training camp in Bali had a lot of good impact on how we play, the things we wanted to do, we were able to show," said the Dutch tactician.
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“We had a lot of respect for China and we knew this was going to be a tough match. Even though we didn’t dominate the match, the result was the most important and we were able to play in the style that we wanted. 

“If you can play in a perfect style of play, it's easy. However, the most important thing is the result. Moving forward we have to make the team even better and to believe in ourselves more.”
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The defeat dashed China PR’s playoff hopes with head coach Branko Ivankovic taking full responsibility for the team’s performance.

“As a coach of course I have the responsibility for the result,” said Ivankovic. “We brought the new generations and players into Team China. I think we brought the motivation as well, I think this is where the future will be."
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“We already knew that Indonesia are strong, their situation is very good, hopefully, they achieve the result they expect. I already knew that this would be tough, especially considering the climate, but the players tried until the final minutes.

“In the end, we knew that this was a difficult match, especially as we fielded young players. So, for the players who played today, especially the young players who played, hopefully they can be the future for China PR.”

Indonesia meet group winners Japan on Matchday 10 with China PR closing out their campaign at home against Bahrain.

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