Jakarta. Indonesia international Calvin Verdonk made his UEFA Champions League debut for French club Lille on Tuesday night, making him the first Southeast Asian player to do so.

The 29-year-old left-back came on as a substitute in the 78th minute, replacing Romain Perraud at Emirates Stadium after Arsenal had established a three-goal lead.

Despite his limited playing time, Verdonk made 16 touches, completed three successful tackles and won three of his four physical duels, according to the match statistics cited in the report.

He received a 6.2 rating from football statistics platform FotMob.

His Indonesian teammate, Kevin Diks, previously played in the Champions League for FC Copenhagen and Feyenoord, but he did not hold Indonesian citizenship at the time of those appearances.

Verdonk helped Lille prevent Arsenal from extending their lead during the closing stages, although the French side was unable to mount a comeback.

Arsenal secured a commanding 3-0 victory, with Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka scoring in a seven-minute spell between the 64th and 71st minutes.

The defeat left Lille with two losses from their opening two matches of the Champions League league phase, following an earlier 3-2 defeat to Real Betis.

From Dutch Youth Football to Indonesia
Born in the Netherlands, Verdonk previously represented the Dutch national team at youth level, including the under-17 side.

He became an Indonesian citizen in April 2024 before making his senior international debut for Indonesia.

Since joining the national team, Verdonk has established himself as an important defensive option for the Garuda squad, bringing experience from European club football.

His Champions League debut represents another milestone for an Indonesian international competing at the highest level of European club football.
 

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