Indonesia was ahead, but Saudi Arabia reversed the lead in the first half!

Gilabola.com – Indonesia caused a surprise with a quick penalty goal, but hosts Saudi Arabia managed to recover and turn things around to make it 2-1 in the first half of the opening match of the fourth round of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the Asian zone in Jeddah. The match was marked by two penalties, two yellow cards and intense pressure from tens of thousands of home fans.

Green Ocean in Jeddah and initial pressure

This Group B match was held at the Alinma Bank Stadium, King Abdullah Sports City complex, Jeddah. From the start, the atmosphere in the stadium was extraordinary: a sea of ​​green flooded the stands, with tens of thousands of Saudi fans wearing the colors of their proud flag.

The hosts, who were seeking their seventh appearance in the World Cup finals, immediately pressed from the left through Al-Dawsari. His cross to Al-Shamat was unfortunately off the mark, but that was the first signal of their dominance.

Indonesia Gets Penalty!

The match had only been running for eight minutes when a crucial situation occurred. Indonesia’s corner kick from Idzes’ header hit Al-Tambaakti’s hand in the penalty box. After the referee reviewed the VAR, the final decision was handed down: penalty for Indonesia!

Indonesian defender, Diks, stepped forward as executor. In the 11th minute, Al-Aqidi’s goalkeeper couldn’t stop his hard and accurate kick into the bottom left corner. The score was 1-0 for Indonesia, and Diks celebrated his first goal for the national team with great emotion in front of the Garuda fans present in Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia Equalizes Scores Quickly

Indonesia’s lead only lasted six minutes. In the 17th minute, Al-Shamat received a pass from Al-Juwayr, passed a defender, then fired a low left foot shot from a distance of around 18 meters. The ball slid smoothly into the bottom right corner of the goal and the score changed to 1-1.

After that goal, the hosts’ pressure became even more intense. Al-Shamat almost scored his second goal when his shot from the left hit the crossbar in the 30th minute.

VAR Back in Action: Penalty for Home

Disaster struck for Indonesia in the 33rd minute. In an effort to anticipate the cross, Sayuri pulled Al-Baraikan’s shirt in the box. The referee returned to the VAR screen, and the result was clear: a penalty for Saudi Arabia and a yellow card for Sayuri.

This time, Al-Baraikan took over the ball from Al-Dawsari. His left foot shot aimed at the top right corner of the goal. Goalkeeper Paes actually read the direction of the ball correctly, but his parry only caused the ball to rise and nestle into the goal. In the 36th minute, Saudi Arabia took a 2-1 lead.

The pressure from the host is getting bigger

After the second goal, Saudi almost increased their lead when Al-Shamat only had to face Paes one on one. Fortunately, the Indonesian goalkeeper moved quickly out of his nest to save the opportunity.

Before halftime, Jonathans tried to respond with an attack from the right side, but Marc Klok’s first time shot from outside the penalty box went high.

Until the first half whistle sounded, the hosts dominated 58% of ball possession, recording seven shots with four on target. Indonesia only recorded four attempts with one leading to the goal — namely Diks’ penalty. The score remained 2-1 for Saudi Arabia.