A controversial late goal by Bahrain denied Indonesia their first victory in the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC qualifiers third round Group C match on Thursday, as the two teams settled for a 2-2 draw. Indonesia, playing in their debut qualifying campaign, earned their third consecutive draw after previously holding Saudi Arabia and Australia to credible stalemates, but the Timnas Garuda felt that they should’ve taken all three points as the equalizing goal was scored in the ninth minute of a six-minute injury time.
Bahrain took the lead in the 15th minute at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa when Mohamed Marhoon unleashed a powerful free-kick from nearly 35 yards out. The ball struck the crossbar and crossed the line, leaving Indonesia’s goalkeeper Maarten Paes rooted to the spot. Marhoon almost doubled Bahrain’s lead a minute later with another attempt, but this time his shot sailed over the bar.
The home side continued to dominate the first half, with Paes pulling off a crucial save to deny Ali Madan’s curling effort in the 39th minute. Two minutes later, Amine Benaddi’s header narrowly missed the target.
However, Indonesia capitalized on a defensive lapse in stoppage time at the end of the first half. Ragnar Oratmangoen pounced on a loose ball after a Sandy Walsh header, slotting it past goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla to level the score and boost Indonesia’s confidence going into halftime.
In the second half, Indonesian head coach Shin Tae-yong made tactical adjustments, bringing on Rizky Ridho and debutant Eliano Reijnders. Indonesia began to gain momentum, and in the 74th minute, Oratmangoen played a key role in the buildup that led to Rafael Struick’s stunning curling strike, giving Indonesia a 2-1 lead.
Bahrain, desperate for an equalizer, made a triple substitution in the 65th minute and threw everything forward in the closing stages. Their persistence paid off in the ninth minute of added time when Marhoon guided the ball into the net following a corner, salvaging a 2-2 draw and denying Indonesia a historic win.
The equalizer enraged the Indonesian camp, as the referee had given a six minute-long injury time that ended up going on for ten minutes, leading to a brief scuffle that saw the referee brandishing a red card to Indonesia team manager Sumardji. Online, Indonesian fans raided the social media accounts of both the referee and the Bahrain national team as well as the official accounts of the AFC themselves, voicing their disappointment over the poor refereeing that led to Bahrain’s last-gasp equalizer.
However, the Timnas Garuda will have little time to dwell on Marhoon’s equalizer as they set off for Qingdao to take on China on Tuesday, while Bahrain will travel to Jeddah to take on Saudi Arabia.