Tag: dream

Indonesia ‘closer to dream’ of Fifa World Cup after beating PH

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Indonesia’s players sing their national anthem before start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification football match between Indonesia and Philippines at Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on June 11, 2024. (Photo by Bay ISMOYO / AFP)

Indonesian fans and leaders hailed their football team after they booked a place in the third round of the Fifa World Cup qualifiers for the first time after beating the Philippines on Tuesday.

The Indonesian team has only been represented once at a World Cup, in 1938, when it was still under colonial rule and known as the Dutch East Indies.

“Whan an incredible win! With this feat, we are getting closer to our dream to play at the World Cup,” President Joko Widodo wrote on social media platform Instagram after the 2-0 win in capital Jakarta, where he was in attendance.

READ: Philippines crashes out of Fifa World Cup Qualifiers

“Keep fighting Garuda National Team!”

Indonesia joined Iraq in advancing out of Group F, with Thom Haye and Rizky Ridho the goal-scoring heroes in front of a raucous crowd of 64,000.

It means Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian nation with a chance of World Cup qualification.

“It was a very important match. We knew what we had to do. I’m very happy I could contribute to that,” said Haye, a 29-year-old midfielder who plays in the Dutch top flight for Heerenveen, after scoring his first international goal.

“I think we deserved the win today. It’s a really special night.”

 ‘Struggle not over’

Indonesia Fifa World Cup qualifiers Philippines

Indonesian fans cheer during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualification football match between Indonesia and Philippines at Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on June 11, 2024. (Photo by Bay ISMOYO / AFP)

Indonesian coach Shin Tae-yong has called on a policy of using naturalised players — footballers with Indonesian heritage like Haye who was born in the Netherlands — to boost the team’s success.

It has seen the Red and White’s FIFA ranking rise eight places to 134th in the world, the biggest jump in the global body’s last update in April.

“Because of the players’ hard work on the field, we managed to create a new history and we finally got through to the third round of the World Cup qualification,” Shin told reporters.

Fans took to social media to celebrate the win but also to express hope for a berth in the tournament that will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“Thank God, we are still carrying on with our dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, the struggle is not over, keep the spirit of Garuda!” wrote one X user, referring to Indonesia’s national symbol.

The third round will see 18 teams — including top Asian seeds Japan, South Korea and Iran — vie for six automatic World Cup spots across three groups, while two more spots will be up for grabs in the fourth round.

The win means Indonesia also booked its place in the AFC Asian Cup finals, to be hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2027.

“I think it’s really important that we believe we can achieve these results, and everything starts with the belief first. In the next round, we want to show who we are,” said Haye.

“It doesn’t stop here.”

Motivations may differ, but dream remains the same

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MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

The perilous side of sustained excellence is that it tends to become monotonous for some.

But not to San Miguel Beer’s seasoned veterans, who have always found a way to make each run interesting.

For Chris Ross, there’s no more repulsive feeling than losing. The defensive ace, who has won 10 titles with the vaunted club, is raring to keep on winning until he has long forgotten that loss he suffered in the past.

“The thing that pushes me the most is that one championship we lost. It was a horrible feeling when we lost to Ginebra,” the Beermen skipper told the Inquirer.

“We had [Renaldo] Balkman. We lost to those guys (Gin Kings) in six. That feeling of losing was worse than the height of winning. It just felt bad.”

Ross was referring to the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup championship series with the Tim Cone-coached Gin Kings who were then backstopped by the well-loved Justin Brownlee.

That loss remains as the only stain in Ross’ trips to the championship stage—a record shared by Lassiter who has just as many titles.

Lassiter, however, has a slightly different drive. One that is steeped in pressure.

“If you really uncover the ‘why,’ I just understand that the expectations for both teams are a lot different. If you understand Meralco’s, this is their first time. So they are excited ‘cause they just made it [to the Finals this conference]. So their expectation, obviously, is to win,” he said.

“For us, every conference, our organization wants us to win a championship. So there’s pressure even from the beginning, when the conference starts, to get to that peak, to that top of the mountain.”

However different their motivations sound, there’s no denying that the goal is just the same: To deliver the franchise’s 30th championship.

San Miguel currently has a veritable chokehold of titles in the PBA, accounting for 29 crowns. Its closest pursuer is the Barangay Ginebra franchise which has 15—only a little over half of the Beermen’s collection.

The two will have their work cut out for them, however, after the Beermen suffered a setback in Game 3 of the ongoing Philippine Cup Finals, falling behind in the series after a 93-89 defeat on Sunday night. INQ