Patrick Kluivert got his first taste of victory as Indonesia’s head coach after they defeated Bahrain 1-0 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium for a crucial win in the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, Vietnam scored five goals past Laos while the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand all got their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualification campaign off to a winning start.
Join the ASEAN United FC as we recap the latest results of the March international window.
Olé, Olé, Olé
Ole Romeny emerged as Indonesia’s newfound hero after he struck the winner against Bahrain for the nation’s second win on the Road to 26.
The 24-year-old Oxford United forward’s 24th-minute goal was enough to guide Team Garuda to a 1-0 win with his club teammate Marselino Ferdinan providing the assist for the game’s lone goal.
Let's do it again in June, Coach! 🔥🇮🇩
— Timnas Indonesia (@TimnasIndonesia) March 26, 2025
‣ #KitaGaruda pic.twitter.com/ODfxtVkI9t
The win means Kluivert’s side are now in fourth place in the Group C standings with two matches to go, knowing that the third and fourth-placed teams from each of the three groups will move on to the fourth round, in the process keeping their FIFA World Cup qualification dreams alive.
Notably, this was Romeny’s second international goal in as many matches after scoring on his debut against Australia in a match that ended in a 5-1 loss just five days ago.
Five-star Vietnam see off Laos
Reigning ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ champions Vietnam got their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers off to an emphatic start after defeating fellow ASEAN side Laos 5-0 on Tuesday.
It was déjà vu for Nguyen Van Vi and Nguyen Hai Long with the duo also having scored against the Laotians in their opening match of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 on road to lifting the title.
Van Vi went on to score a brace while Nguyen Quang Hai and Chau Ngoc Quang also got on the scoresheet for Kim Sang-sik’s side at Go Dau Stadium, the home ground of Becamex Binh Duong.
Philippines begin campaign in style
Another ASEAN nation that put up a classy display was the Philippines, who began their bid to return amongst the continent’s elite with a 4-1 win at home against the Maldives.
Buriram United’s Jefferson Tabinas got the wheels rolling with his sixth-minute strike followed by Bjorn Martin Kristensen, Randy Schneider and Sandro Reyes getting their names on the scoresheet at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium.
Harimau Malaya too good for Nepal
Terima kasih kepada 7895 penonton yang hadir beri sokongan. Juga tidak lupa pada yang menonton di rumah 🫶🏻🤍🐯🇲🇾🔥
— Malaysia NT (@malaysia_nt) March 26, 2025
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Thank you to the 7,895 fans who came to support us! Also, not forgetting those watching from home 🫶🏻🤍🐯🇲🇾🔥#FAM #HarimauMalaya pic.twitter.com/089XYG5zsy
Hector Hevel and La’Vere Corbin-Ong netted in either half as the Peter Cklamovski era for the Malaysian national team began with a 2-0 triumph over Nepal at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor Bahru.
The former FC Tokyo boss was full of praise for his players with Hevel scoring on his international debut while Johor Darul Ta’zim full back Corbin-Ong scored in his home ground to clinch all three points.
Mg Mg Lwin, Gustavsson score decisive goals
Meanwhile, Myanmar also started with a win after beating Afghanistan 2-1 in Yangon courtesy of captain Maung Maung Lwin’s 75th-minute winner.
Thailand faced a stern test against Sri Lanka in Bangkok but the War Elephants ultimately emerged as 1-0 winners thanks to BG Pathum United forward Patrik Gustavsson.
And finally, Singapore were held to a goalless draw at home by Hong Kong, China while Timor-Leste and Brunei DS suffered defeats away from home against Tajikistan and Lebanon respectively.
Photo: Timnas Indonesia
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