It was one of the greatest nights in Indonesian football history as Marselino Ferdinan scored twice against Saudi Arabia to help Team Garuda secure their first-ever victory in the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, Laos impressed against Thailand, Malaysia tested themselves in a couple of away fixtures, while it was a disappointing window for Singapore and the Philippines.
Join the ASEAN United FC as we recap every ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 team’s final preparatory matches before the showpiece Southeast Asian competition begins on 8 December.
Cometh the hour, Cometh Marselino
The name Marselino Ferdinan has been etched forever into Indonesian football folklore after the 20-year-old youngster scored not once, but twice in a 2-0 triumph against FIFA World Cup regulars Saudi Arabia in the AFC Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The winger who plies his trade for Oxford United in the English Championship, netted two well-taken goals in the 32nd and 57th minutes to stun the Saudis and lift the roof of a packed Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
With this win, Team Garuda jumped up to the third spot with six points in an extremely tight Group C after recovering from a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of runaway leaders Japan four days ago.
Shin Tae-yong’s boys also became only the second ASEAN nation to win a third-round FIFA World Cup Qualifiers match after Vietnam had defeated China PR in 2021, with Indonesia having already accumulated more points than the Vietnamese with four matches still to go and their World Cup qualification hopes still intact.
Bounphachan scores stunner against Thailand
Meanwhile, Laos star Bounphachan Bounkong came up with a stunning volley from the edge of the box as his goal helped his nation hold Thailand 1-1 at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani.
Seksan Ratree gave Thailand the lead but Bounphachan, who has been impressive for ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ side PKR Svay Rieng FC this season, scored the equaliser in the 69th minute to give Laos a morale boost heading into next month’s tournament.
Harimau Malaya impress away from home
Malaysia geared up for the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 in a pair of fixtures away from home in the November international window. First up, they took on Laos at the PAT Stadium in Bangkok on November 14.
Harith Haiqal gave Malaysia an early lead but Laos responded through Kydavone Souvanny in the 33rd minute. In the second half, two penalties from Stuart Wilkin and Sergio Aguero won it for Pau Marti Vicente’s side. In addition, Fergus Tierney, Zhafri Yahya and Fazrul Amir made their senior national team debuts in this match.
Soon after that, they travelled to Hyderabad in India to take on the hosts four days later. Kuala Lumpur City FC captain Paulo Josue broke the deadlock in the 19th minute after a goalkeeping howler by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu but the Blue Tigers responded through Rahul Bheke’s powerful header before the interval.
In the end, the match finished 1-1 with the 2010 ASEAN champions now set to head into next month’s tournament full of optimism.
Singapore suffer surprise defeat to Chinese Taipei
Singapore, on the other hand, came unstuck in their preparations for the tournament after falling to a 3-2 loss at the hands of lower-ranked Chinese Taipei at the Singapore National Stadium on Monday, November 18.
However, a couple of days before that Tsutomu Ogura’s side did manage to come out on the right side of a 3-2 scoreline against Myanmar at the same venue with Naqiuddin Eunos scoring the winning goal. On a positive note, Kyoga Nakamura and Jordan Emaviwe made their Singapore debut becoming the newest faces in the Lions’ setup.
Thailand drew 0-0 with Lebanon three days prior to the disappointing draw against Laos while Myanmar also faced the Lebanese after their defeat at the hands of Singapore. Thiha Zaw’s free-kick and Maung Maung Lwin’s Olimpico saw Myanmar put up a brave fight but ultimately go down 3-2 to Lebanon at the Thuwunna Stadium.
Finally, the Philippines also endured disappointment losing 3-1 to Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Stadium with Bjorn Martin Kristensen on the scoresheet for his second international goal.
Photo: Timnas Indonesia
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