Indonesia must learn from 6-0 thrashing by Japan as World Cup dreams remain alive, says Kluivert
Indonesia's dreams of appearing at their first finals since gaining independence in 1945 are still alive after they finished fourth in Asian qualifying Group C.
They join Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Asian champions Qatar in October's fourth qualifying round, with the draw to be made next month.
The winners of the two three-team groups will advance to next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Netherlands and Barcelona great Kluivert admitted that Group C winners Japan were 'a size too big' for his team in Osaka on Tuesday.
'We need to learn from this big defeat,' said the 48-year-old, who took over midway through the third qualifying round.
'We're very disappointed, of course, but we have to be prepared for the fourth round, and for me now the most important thing is to look back post-match, learn from it and look forward to the fourth round.'
Indonesia were already guaranteed a place in the fourth round after beating China 1-0 in Jakarta last week.
They were outclassed by a Japan team who booked their World Cup place with three games to spare and ended the third round with 30 goals from 10 matches.
Kluivert was not helped by a first-half injury to forward Kevin Diks, whose replacement Yakob Sayuri was then substituted 15 minutes later after a clash of heads.
Kluivert said Japan were too good for Indonesia but they had to 'admit this and carry on'.
'We tried our best but it wasn't enough,' he said.
'It was the quality of the players that Japan has in this team. We can talk a lot about it but that's the fact, that Japan was a size too big for us this evening.' — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Despair as Aaron-Wooi Yik fail to win China Open
This was Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's sixth appearance in the final of a World Tour Super 1000 tournament. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik let slip a golden opportunity to win their first World Tour Super 1000 title after losing to a scratch Indonesian pair at the China Open men's doubles final. The world No 2 pair's hopes of hitting a career high were dashed by the unranked giant-killers Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri, losing 15-21, 14-21 in just 34 minutes. The Indonesians played aggressively, giving Aaron-Wooi Yik little chance to come back after taking huge leads. Aaron-Wooi Yik took home US$70,000 (RM295,146) as runners-up while the champions won US$148,000 (RM624,000). This was Aaron-Wooi Yik's sixth appearance in the final of a World Tour Super 1000 tournament. Today's result marks a huge win for the Indonesian duo, capturing a Super 1000 title despite the China Open being just their second international tournament after being paired up. Aaron-Wooi Yik were gunning for a fourth title this year, having won the Thailand Open, Singapore Open and Badminton Asia Championships. The two-time Olympic bronze medalists can however take heart as this was their 13th World Tour final appearance in their badminton career, of which they have won four.
Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Malay Mail
‘We're no underdogs': England set to challenge world champs Spain in Euro 2025 final
BASEL, July 27 — England captain Leah Williamson admits that Spain are 'the best at what they do' but is confident her side can compete with the reigning world champions in today's Euro 2025 final. 'Tomorrow, we play a game against the world champions who continue to prove themselves over and over in the way that they play football,' Williamson told reporters at Basel's St Jakob-Park on the eve of the game. 'They are a fantastic footballing team, they are the best at what they do, and we are very much aware of that but we think we are pretty good in some areas as well. 'We need to be at our best to beat Spain but I think they will need to be at their best to beat us too. 'I think there is a lot of respect between the two teams, and I'd be hesitant to say we are underdogs in this scenario.' England are hoping to retain the European Championship title they won on home soil in 2022, but the match is also a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final, in which Spain triumphed 1-0 in Sydney. There is a growing rivalry between the nations, with England winning in extra time when they clashed in the quarter-finals at Euro 2022. The sides have also already faced each other twice this year in the UEFA Nations League, with England winning 1-0 at Wembley in February. Spain avenged that result by claiming a 2-1 victory in Barcelona at the beginning of last month, when Claudia Pina scored twice after Alessia Russo had given England the lead. 'We have played each other a lot over the last couple of years and I think you always have learnings from the games we have played,' said England coach Sarina Wiegman. 'Tomorrow is a new situation where we have an opportunity to hopefully take out their strengths a bit and exploit some of their weaknesses too.' England have been sweating on the fitness of Lauren James for the final after she came off with an ankle injury during the last-four win over Italy, but Wiegman indicated that the winger is in line to feature today. 'We had 23 players on the pitch today and everyone came through,' said the Dutch coach. Chloe Kelly and young striker Michelle Agyemang are pushing for starts after making impacts off the bench in the comeback wins against both Sweden and Italy in the last two rounds. Williamson, though, believes James has a lot to offer. 'We have a team of talented players. Lauren brings something slightly different, obviously having her available is the best-case scenario,' said the Arsenal centre-back. — AFP
Malay Mail
7 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Sixth final, no title: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik fall short in China Open Super 1000 showdown
CHANGZHOU (China), July 27 — Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik reportedly fell short of clinching their maiden World Tour Super 1000 title after losing to Indonesia's unseeded pair in the men's doubles final at the China Open. According to Free Malaysia Today, the world No. 2 Malaysians were beaten 15-21, 14-21 in 35 minutes at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou, with the Indonesian duo dominating from start to finish. Fajar and Shohibul, playing only their second tournament together after returning at the Japan Open last week, delivered a sharp, aggressive performance that left Aaron-Wooi Yik struggling to respond. It was a disappointing outcome for the Malaysians, who were also runners-up at last year's China Open, having lost to home favourites Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the 2023 final. Aaron and Wooi Yik reprotedly took home US$70,000 (RM295,146) as runners-up, while the Indonesian pair claimed the winner's purse of US$148,000 (RM624,000). This was the sixth time Aaron-Wooi Yik reached the final of a World Tour Super 1000 event, but the title remains elusive.
