Herdman's Determination to Lead Indonesia to Defeat Oman for the First Time Since 1988

Indonesia National Football Team enters the June 2026 FIFA Matchday with a mission far greater than just securing a win. When hosting Oman at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Senayan, Jakarta on Friday, 5 June 2026, the Garuda Squad is determined to end a 38-year long wait.

This match marks a critical test for the new era of the Indonesia National Football Team under the leadership of John Herdman. Beyond being an opportunity to gauge the squad's development, this fixture against Oman also opens the chance for Garuda to erase the negative head-to-head record that has loomed over them for nearly four decades.

Indonesia last claimed victory over Oman at the 1988 King's Cup tournament held in Bangkok, Thailand. On that occasion, the Red and White squad secured a dominant 3-0 win.

Since that victory however, Indonesia has never managed to defeat the side nicknamed Al Ahmar. Across all subsequent meetings, Indonesia has only recorded two wins, one Draw, and suffered three defeats against Oman.

The most recent meeting between the two nations took place in May 2021, in an international friendly match held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. On that day, Indonesia was beaten by Oman with a final score of 1-3.

This record now stands as the biggest challenge facing John Herdman. The English head coach has openly acknowledged that this fixture against Oman carries huge significance for his squad.

"The team is ready. We have completed five days of very solid joint preparation. We also just wrapped up our final training session, and the morale within the squad is extremely positive right now. Every player is fired up, eager to take the pitch and give their absolute best for all of you," he stated during the pre-match press conference held at SUGBK.

Herdman is fully aware of the scale of challenge awaiting his players. Yet this very obstacle is being used as extra motivation to make new history.

"It has been 38 years since we last beat Oman, and that is a huge challenge for us," he added.

In reality, preparations for the Indonesia National Football Team ahead of this match have not run perfectly. A number of players arrived late to join the squad due to fitness issues and health problems.

For example, Marselino Ferdinan was only able to observe training from the sidelines during the official practice session one day before the match. Meanwhile, newly arrived Calvin Verdonk is still undergoing physiotherapy and has not been able to fully join full team training sessions.

Despite these setbacks, Herdman remains optimistic that the squad's condition will continue to improve as kickoff approaches.

"We did face some minor disruptions, with several players arriving late due to illness and health issues. However, I believe all the players have already regained their match rhythm by tonight," said Herdman.

This positive outlook was also echoed by Indonesia's first choice defender Kevin Diks. The Borussia Mönchengladbach player noted that the squad atmosphere is excellent, with every member united by the same goal of securing victory.

"Right now we are in good shape. We have gone through several days of intense joint training sessions to build our cohesion and match rhythm," he stated.

According to Diks, the squad's adaptation process to the new tactical system and playing approach has gone smoothly throughout the training camp.

"Every single player shares the same target, understands the same game plan, and is executing the same tactical instructions. I can feel the atmosphere inside the team is really positive, and we are hoping for your full support tomorrow," he said.

Herdman has also called on supporters to attend the stadium in person. The former Canada National Team Head Coach wants the atmosphere inside Gelora Bung Karno to act as an extra advantage for his side.

"We hope supporters will pack GBK tomorrow night and give their full backing to the national team," Herdman stated.

"With all of your support behind us, we will fight with everything we have to write new history," he emphasised.

Kevin Diks also added that the squad hopes this match will become the turning point for the resurgence of Indonesian national Football.

"We are hoping to finally beat Oman for the first time in 38 years," he concluded.