(Reuters) – Australia captain Maty Ryan has stressed the Socceroos cannot afford to underestimate Indonesia on Tuesday as they go into their World Cup qualifier in Jakarta needing to bounce back from Thursday’s surprise loss to Bahrain.
A late Harry Souttar own goal handed the Gulf side a 1-0 win on the Gold Coast in the opening match of Asia’s third round of qualifying for the 2026 finals, leaving Graham Arnold’s side trailing in the early running in Group C.
Japan and Bahrain currently top the standings with three points each while Australia are pointless in the quest for a top two finish in the six-team group that would secure automatic qualification for the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“We know they’re going to have quality that can hurt us if we’re not on our game and if we don’t take away the opportunity for them to do that through how we can play,” Ryan said of their Shin Tae-yong coached opponents.
“We’re focused on us and what we need to do and we’re confident as a squad we can rebound from the other night and take a positive step towards this qualification.”
A big turnout of home support is expected at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, with the Indonesian team appearing in this phase of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers for the first time.
The Indonesians will be buoyed by holding World Cup regulars Saudi Arabia to a 1-1 draw in Jeddah on Thursday, a result that underlines the challenge Australia faces.
“There’s going to be a big crowd,” Ryan said. “They showed their qualities not only against Saudi Arabia recently but in the past as well and our focus is turning to them and coming up with a game plan to deliver the result for us and Australia.”
(Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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