TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian national team played out a goalless draw against Lebanon in a friendly match on FIFA Matchday held at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, East Java, Monday night, September 8, 2025. Jay Idzes and his teammates were able to dominate possession of the ball, but were unable to score any goals.
In this match, coach Patrick Kluivert made significant changes to the squad. He fielded a different team from the squad that played in the 6-0 victory against Taiwan last Friday. Only two players were retained as starters, namely goalkeeper Emil Audero and winger Yakob Sayuri. The other nine were players who were brought in from the bench or did not play in the match against Taiwan.
In this game, team captain Jay Idzes led his teammates from the start, after being absent from the match against Taiwan. With the squad selected by Kluivert, the Indonesian national team was able to dominate possession, even with more than 80 percent. The 'Red and White' team also managed to press Lebanon's players.
Miliano Jonathans and Mauro Zijlstra, who had previously made their debut as substitutes against Taiwan, started the game.
In this match, Miliano, playing as a right winger, played an important role. The FC Utrecht player managed to deliver several crosses into the penalty area, but his teammates did not utilize them.
Yakob Sayuri, playing as a right winger, repeatedly posed a threat to Lebanon's defense. Ricky Kambuaya also troubled the Lebanese players. He was even fouled twice in the first 15 minutes because of his threatening movements during the attacks.
Although able to control the game, the Garuda squad was unable to score. The first half ended with a goalless draw.
In the second half, as the game resumed after the break, Indonesia's goal faced threats. Karim Darwich had the opportunity to take a shot on goal from inside the penalty box, but goalkeeper Emil managed to thwart the attempt.
Approaching the 60th minute, coach Kluivert made four substitutions at once. Thom Haye, Eliano Reijnders, Maselino Ferdinan, and Adrian Wibowo, who made his debut with the Indonesian national team, replaced Calvin Verdonk, Stefano Lilipaly, Ricky Kambuaya, and Mauro Zijlstra.
Towards the end of the game, Yance Sayuri replaced Dean James in the 75th minute. Subsequently, Ramadhan Sananta entered the game in the 83rd minute.
The substitutions increased the intensity of the attacks. However, they still failed to score. The score remained unchanged. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
In the additional time of the second half, in the 98th minute, a commotion occurred after Marselino Ferdinan kicked the ball out of bounds, intended for a Lebanese player who was about to take a throw-in.
The Lebanese player seemed to blame Marselino, and Thom Haye came to his defense, leading to a scuffle between Haye and the opposing player. Then, other players became involved. However, the situation was quickly brought under control, and the match resumed. Nevertheless, no goals were scored, and the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
This match against Lebanon served as a simulation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian zone, the fourth round against Saudi Arabia and Iraq in Group B next October. Indonesia needs to top the group to qualify for the final round.
Kluivert will surely evaluate the performance of Jay Idzes and his teammates as he prepares the team for the fourth round.
Line-up:
Indonesia: Emil Audero, Calvin Verdonk, Dean Ruben James, Jay Idzes, Kevin Diks, Ricky Kambuaya, Yakob Sayuri, Joey Pelupessy, Stefano Lilipaly, Mauro Zijlstra, and Miliano Jonathans.
Coach: Patrick Kluivert
Lebanon: Mostafa Matar, Hussein Sharafeddine, Hussein Zein, Khalil Khamis, Khoder Khaled Kaddour, Mohamad Safwan, Walid Shour, Ahmad Kheir El Dine, Mohamad Haidar, Karim Darwich, Ramy Najjarine.
Coach: Miodrag Radulovic
Editor's Choice: FIFA Matchday: Predicted Lineups for Indonesia vs Lebanon Clash
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