Thursday, 13 June 2024 – 04:06 WIB
JAKARTA – Indonesian national team player Calvin Verdonk said that the Garuda team should have won with a score of 5-0 over the Philippine National Team in the final match of the 2026 World Cup Qualification in the Asian zone, second round of Group F at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, Tuesday 11 June 2024.
In that match, Indonesia created many opportunities with a total of 20 shots, with seven of them on target and one of them hitting the crossbar.
However, Indonesia’s poor finishing allowed the Garuda team to win the match with a two-goal lead with a score of 2-0 through goals from Thom Haye and Rizky Ridho.
“I think we showed quality should we have won 5-0 maybe. So I think it was a good match,” said Verdonk after the match.
Calvin Verdonk, Indonesian vs Philippines National Team in World Cup Qualification
The NEC Nijmegen left-back played well in his 67 minutes in front of hundreds of thousands of supporters at SUGBK. He recorded impressive statistics on his debut with 80 percent passing accuracy from 25 passes, three key passes, two shots on target and one shot off target before being replaced by Pratama Arhan.
He felt that he really enjoyed his debut match even though on the same occasion he was a little hampered by the hot weather which made him quite sweaty.
“I think it’s a fun game with a great atmosphere, really happy to be here,” said Verdonk.
“I was really ready for the match. Shin Tae Yong makes me confident. He asked me if I wanted to play, he gave me a lot of confidence,” he added.
“The weather is a big problem for me because it’s not that hot in the Netherlands. So I sweat a lot. “In the second half my leg cramped, but my condition is fine,” he added.
Thanks to a 2-0 victory over the Philippines, Indonesia advanced to the third round along with 17 other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Australia.
The draw for the third round of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the Asian zone will be held on June 27 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the third round, Indonesia will start competing from September to June next year to compete for six automatic tickets to the 2026 World Cup, which will be held for the first time in three countries, in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“We have to see whoever we face in the third round, but I’m pretty confident,” Verdonk said. (Ant)
