Indonesia's national team entered the match against the United Arab Emirates with an extremely high determination after suffering two consecutive defeats against China and Japan in the previous rounds. Just like every time, Coach Shin Tae-yong still put 9 foreign-born players and 2 domestic players on the field, namely defenders Ferdinan and Ridho. These two domestic players have played very well and made significant contributions to helping the home team open the scoring and maintain it until the end of the first half.

Midfielder Ridho (5): A Key Player in Standing Firm Against UAE's Attacks

In the first half, midfielder Ridho (5) played exceptionally well. His contributions helped the Indonesian team stand firm against the continuous attacks of the United Arab Emirates team. The players on the opposite side seemed nervous and psychologically pressured by the enthusiasm of the Indonesian fans. The players of the West Asian team played like they were in a dream in the first half and were often penetrated by the home team's strikers. In the first minute, Indonesia created the first dangerous opportunity when Ferdinan broke through and tried to score a goal against the goalkeeper Al Kassar. Not to mention, in the 9th minute, Struick of Indonesia launched a fierce attack and left behind the two defenders of the United Arab Emirates team, but his cross-shot was blocked by the goalkeeper of the visiting team and then went wide.

Joy of the Indonesian Players after Scoring a Goal

However, as things always happen, under the continuous pressure of the home team, the players of the United Arab Emirates team relaxed, giving Ferdinan a clear chance in front of the goal. This young defender did not miss the opportunity and beautifully scored a goal into the far corner, giving Indonesia the lead. This goal further disrupted the United Arab Emirates team in the first half, while the Indonesian team played even better. It can be said that in this half, the West Asian team did not create any real dangerous opportunities for the goalkeeper Paes of Indonesia.In the second half, Coach Shin Tae-yong applied a defensive counterattack strategy for the students. This strategy made the United Arab Emirates team extremely difficult to score. The fierce tackles of the home team's defenders in the ball possession battles caused a lot of difficulties for the United Arab Emirates team's offensive. Although they had a dominant possession and passing rate, the West Asian team still could not create dangerous opportunities.On the contrary, the counterattacks of Coach Shin Tae-yong's students were sharp. The climax was Ferdinan's goal to increase the score in the 56th minute. From the very quick break of defender Verdonk on the right side, the ball was crossed into the box and Marselino Ferdinan scored a goal by hitting the United Arab Emirates defender and scoring. Immediately after that, this young defender deftly dribbled the ball and increased the score to 2-0 for the home team and scored a double goal for himself.

Ferdinan's Goal Increased the Score to 2-0 for Indonesia

After this goal, the players of the United Arab Emirates team tried to raise the team's formation and increase their strength in an attempt to find a way to narrow the score gap, but they all failed in the face of the fierce playing style of the home team's players. The Indonesian team often blocked the attacking routes of the United Arab Emirates team from a relatively long distance from the goal with small fouls. This not only caused psychological suppression for the players from West Asia but also made it difficult for them to cooperate closely within the Indonesian team's defensive area.In the 89th minute, the center-back Hubner of Indonesia received the second yellow card and was sent off due to arguing with the referee. With the opponent having only 10 players on the field, the players of the United Arab Emirates team tried to attack and score goals but all failed.This result helped Indonesia get 6 points, equal to the United Arab Emirates but temporarily moved up to third place in the rankings due to a better goal difference (-3). Meanwhile, the Chinese team dropped to the bottom of the rankings after losing 1-3 at home to Japan.