INDONESIA 'DESERVE WIN'

Saudi coach hails hosts' famous 2-0 upset; runaway leaders Japan humble China 3-1

- 

The race to the 2026 World Cup Finals is heating up in Asian qualifying Group C.

Behind runaway leaders Japan, three teams - Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and China - are on six points after six games played. At press time, they were also level with Australia, who faced Bahrain away with the result unavailable.

The top two teams in each of the three groups will reach the showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while the third and fourth-placed teams advance to another round of qualifiers.

Indonesia pulled themselves into contention with a 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in front of their fans in Jakarta on Nov 19, with Marselino Ferdinan scoring twice to give Shin Tae-yong's team their first win of the campaign.

A 32nd-minute curling effort was followed by a flick over goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Kassar 12 minutes into the second half as the Indonesians - the only South-east Asian team left in qualifying - sealed a famous upset at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.