JAKARTA – The Indonesian national team stepped into the 2026 FIFA Series final to face Bulgaria on March 30, 2026 after defeating Saint Kitts and Nevis 4-0 at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Friday, March 27, 2026, WIB night.
Indonesian National Team coach John Herdman said that the final match needed to bring down all the players he had in the squad to find out all the qualities of his students.
In the match against Saint Kitts and Nevis alone, Herdman made eight substitutions in the second half, which confirmed his goal to see the profile of the players in detail.
“There are only a few days to train (before the Bulgaria match), three days. I need to test the whole roster and get to know the players’ characters,” Herdman said after the match against Saint Kitts and Nevis.
As is known, the match against Saint Kitts and Nevis was Herdman’s official international debut as the coach of the Indonesian National Team.
Even though his debut performance went well, the English coach needs to analyze in detail the strength of his team.
Moreover, Bulgaria is one of the strong teams in Europe. They beat the Solomon Islands 10-2 to advance to the 2026 FIFA Series final.
Herdman considers the team nicknamed The Tricolours as a suitable opponent to test the Garuda Squad’s ability.
“There is still a lot to do. In the match against Saint Kitts and Nevis we scored four goals and a clean sheet.”
“The management (of the game) went well, many good players, brilliant. I’m very happy, the players overall played disciplined, focused, had good commitment in the transition, and good cooperation.”
“Bulgaria is definitely a top team with its European style. They beat the Solomon Islands who came here (FIFA Series 2026) to enjoy this big moment,” said Herdman.
Even though it is still in the trial stage, Herdman is still confident that his players will get a positive result against Bulgaria.
Similar motivation also came from Beckham Putra, the Best Player of the Match against Saint Kitts and Nevis who scored two goals.
Bekcham said the two goals – which were his first goals for the Indonesian National Team at the senior level – gave him more motivation to contribute better for the Garuda Squad.
“Bulgaria is a strong team, we will definitely analyze it with the coaching staff. We already have a 4-0 result (against Saint Kitts and Nevis).”
“The result adds confidence to the team because it won big. In addition, I am also more confident, scoring my first international goal for the Indonesian National Team. Hopefully, I can add goals and give the team a victory,” said Beckham.
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