John Herdman eager to face Bulgaria, Indonesia aim for FIFA Series title

Indonesian National Team Coach John Herdman couldn't hide his satisfaction after his team crushed St Kitts and Nevis 4-0 in their opening FIFA Series match. Herdman now shifts focus to the final match against Bulgaria on March 30, 2026.

Two of Indonesia's four goals were scored by Beckham Putra in the first half. The other two goals came in the second half, courtesy of Ole Romeny and Mauro Zijlstra.

Herdman revealed that the initial target against St Kitts and Nevis wasn't just to win, but to do so convincingly.

“We set a target before the match to score four goals and keep a clean sheet,” he said in the post-match press conference in Jakarta on Friday, March 27, 2026.

That target was achieved. Indonesia displayed discipline, effectiveness, and showed signs of developing tactical understanding despite only having a few training sessions together.

“This is our first time together, only a few training sessions. But we are very proud of the players tonight. Keeping a clean sheet, that's about discipline,” he said. 

The match against St Kitts and Nevis was also used by Herdman to rotate players. When Indonesia was in a comfortable lead, Herdman gave playing minutes to more players, while also testing the squad's depth.

“We wanted to give opportunities to many players who participated in the training sessions. And they handled the game very professionally,” he said.

Tactically, Herdman highlighted two crucial elements: set-piece effectiveness and transitions in play. He stated that these two aspects are vital foundations in modern Football, and Indonesia is starting to show progress there.

Despite being satisfied, Herdman kept expectations in check. He acknowledged the team's journey is still long, and the true test will come in the final match against Bulgaria.

“I'm pleased with the elements tonight, but this is just the beginning. The journey is still long, and we will face a tough match against Bulgaria. We managed to rotate quite a few players, so we look forward to the FIFA Series final on Monday,” he concluded. 

With a combination of discipline, effective rotation, and sharpness in transitions, Indonesia heads into the final with high confidence. However, as Herdman reminded, the real challenge has only just begun.

Reporter: Syafira Salsa