Indonesia National Team Held by Malaysia at the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, Erick Thohir Urges Full Focus Ahead of the Match Against Bangladesh.

Indonesia National Team have not eliminated their chance to advance to the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 final after recording a 0-0 draw against Malaysia. PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir has ordered Garuda Squad to immediately redirect their full attention to the final Group A fixture against Bangladesh.

Indonesia and Malaysia collected one point each from the match hosted at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta on Monday. This result places Indonesia second on the provisional Standings with 4 points, only trailing Malaysia by goal difference.

The match against Malaysia became an uphill battle for Indonesia after Thom Haye received a red card in the 37th minute. Playing one man down, the Garuda Squad was forced to withstand sustained pressure from Malaysia for the remainder of the fixture.

Despite failing to take all three points, Erick urged the players not to dwell on the draw result for too long, and to refocus immediately for the final group match against Bangladesh.

"Fix your focus on the next match against Bangladesh. We still have our chance," Erick posted on his official Instagram account on Monday.

The fixture against Bangladesh will be a decisive match for Indonesia, as only the Group A winners will qualify for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 final.

Under this circumstance, securing a win against Bangladesh is mandatory for Garuda Squad to keep their top spot hopes alive. However, Indonesia's match result alone will not be enough to confirm their progression.

Indonesia will also be waiting on the qualification hopeful Singapore's match result against Malaysia. After losing 0-2 to Indonesia in their opening fixture, Singapore bounced back to beat Bangladesh 1-0 in their second match.

That victory puts Singapore on 3 points in third place, leaving the entire Group A standings wide open heading into the final matchday.

Amid the tight group competition, Erick also publicly praised Indonesia's players and backroom staff for their performance against Malaysia.

"Thank you to all officials and players that gave every bit of their ability, holding back Malaysia while down to 10 men for nearly 70 minutes, and fighting right until the final second of the match," Erick wrote.

The Malaysia fixture proved Indonesia's mental resilience under high pressure. Now another equally critical challenge awaits, with Bangladesh standing as Garuda's final opponent in the group phase.

Indonesia will face Bangladesh on Thursday 1 October. Holding 4 points, the Garuda squad must take maximum points from this match, while closely monitoring the Malaysia vs Singapore result to find out if they will secure their spot in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 final.