Coach Graham Arnold Regrets Australian Players Wasted Many Chances Against Indonesia

Jakarta, Todaysgist.com – Australian national team coach Graham Arnold expressed his disappointment over the many opportunities his team failed to capitalize on when facing Indonesia in the third round of Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Tuesday (10/9/2024).

“We had a lot of chances, but our players wasted them,” said Arnold after the match at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta.

The match ended in a goalless draw, despite Australia’s dominance.

According to statistical data, Australia controlled 63% of ball possession and created 19 shots, six of which were on target.

A similar situation occurred in the previous match when Australia lost 0-1 to Bahrain on September 5, 2024. In that match, Australia dominated 71% of possession, made 11 shots with four on target, but failed to score.

“This situation is of course very disappointing,” said the 61-year-old coach.

Despite not yet achieving a win in Group C, the former Sydney FC coach remains optimistic that Australia’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup are still wide open.

For Arnold, the matches against Bahrain and Indonesia will be evaluation material for the next match.

“We still have eight games left. After this, we will go back to Australia and evaluate everything,” he added.

Speaking about Indonesia’s performance, Arnold praised the opposing team’s defense.

“With the many chances we created, the match still ended in a draw. It is not surprising that Maarten Paes (Indonesian goalkeeper) was chosen as the man of the match” he said.

Before returning to Australia, Graham Arnold expressed his gratitude to the Indonesian supporters who filled SUGBK. The committee noted that around 70,000 supporters attended the match between Indonesia and Australia.

“Thank you to everyone. The atmosphere tonight was amazing,” he said.

The draw leaves Australia with just one point from two Group C matches, leaving them in fifth place in the standings.

Above Australia, Japan leads the standings with six points from two games, followed by Saudi Arabia with four points, Bahrain in third place with three points and Indonesia in fourth place with two points. Meanwhile, China is in last place with no points from two games.