Jakarta. Australia’s head coach, Graham Arnold, expressed disappointment after the Socceroos were held to a 0-0 draw by Indonesia in their World Cup qualifying match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, despite dominating the game.

Despite being ranked 24th in the FIFA standings and dominating the game, Australia was held to a 0-0 draw by Indonesia, ranked 133rd, whose defense stood firm throughout the match.

"A vastly improved performance from the boys, but extremely disappointed. How many chances did we get? This has been a common theme every year," Arnold said in a post-match interview, on Tuesday.

Arnold emphasized that the Socceroos should have taken all three points, but key players, including Jackson Irvine, failed to convert opportunities due to the outstanding performance of Indonesia’s new goalkeeper, Maarten Paes, who made five crucial saves.

With the draw, Australia has only earned one point in Group C. Previously, they suffered a 0-1 home defeat against Bahrain.

"You come here to a hostile crowd. The boys gave their best, but they all admitted their performance wasn't good enough," Arnold added.

Despite the lackluster start, the 61-year-old coach remains confident that Australia still has a chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

"There are eight games to go. It's not a disaster, but I need to go home and do a lot of thinking," he said.

Meanwhile, the draw against Australia gives Indonesia two points in Group C. In their previous match, Indonesia held Saudi Arabia to a 1-1 draw.

Indonesia’s head coach, Shin Tae-yong, expressed satisfaction with his team's performance and work rate in both matches.

"Our gameplay was solid. I am satisfied with the players’ execution of our strategies," Shin said after the match at GBK. "We did everything we could," he added.

With two points from the opening two matches, Shin Tae-yong said that the team is now focused on the upcoming fixtures in October 2024, where they will face two away games against Bahrain (ranked 80th) on Oct. 10 and China (ranked 87th) on Oct. 15.

The top two teams from the third-round group stage will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will have a chance to qualify through the fourth round of the qualifiers.

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