TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian national team striker Ole Romeny played a pivotal role in securing Indonesia’s victory over China in the Group C match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asia zone
The game took place at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium on Thursday night, June 5, 2025. Romeny scored the only goal of the match in the 40th minute from the penalty spot.
The penalty was awarded after Ricky Kambuaya was brought down by a Chinese defender inside the box. Referee Rustam Lutfullin reviewed the incident through VAR before officially awarding the spot kick.
Romeny revealed that his thoughts went to his mother in that critical moment. "As we saw the referee go to the VAR screen, we knew that most of the time it would result in a penalty. It was funny, because I saw my mother, and I knew she was very nervous in moments like that. So, I briefly thought of my mother," Ole said during a post-match press conference.
"She was in the stands for the first time. So, I thought of doing it (the penalty). Maybe normally she wouldn't agree."
"But I was confident. I didn't really feel the pressure. Of course, it was a big moment, and also the biggest penalty in my career," added the Oxford United forward.
With this goal, Romeny has now scored three goals in as many appearances for the Indonesian national team.
Looking ahead, he expressed his commitment to continue contributing to the team’s success. "Yes, of course, I am very happy to score again and help the team. That's the most important thing. The next target is Japan," said Ole.
"We want to win every match. That's the next match, so I'm very excited. We can all play a different game," he said.
Following Indonesia’s win and Saudi Arabia’s victory over Bahrain on the same day, the Indonesian national team climbed to fourth place in Group C, securing a spot in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asia zone.
Indonesia’s final match in the third round will be against Japan on Tuesday, June 10.
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