In the battle for the title, Indonesia's victory came as a punch in the gut, pushing the Saudis into a fourth consecutive empty-handed defeat. Following a come-from-behind victory over the Chinese national team in the second round, the Saudis' winning run came to a halt. Meanwhile, Indonesia snapped a five-game unbeaten streak as more than 50,000 enthusiastic fans cheered. Tasting the fruits of victory for the first time, Indonesia's points and ranking rocketed upwards.
In the latest standings, Japan leads the way with a huge 16-point advantage, and the top two spots in the group seem to be rock-solid. Indonesia, with six points, are level with Australia, Saudi Arabia and China, and have managed to overtake Saudi Arabia by virtue of their goal difference, climbing to third place in the group; Saudi Arabia have dropped to fourth, China have slipped to fifth due to goal difference, and Bahrain, despite having missed a round, have taken the last place for the time being. Our team has been decimated by Japan in both home and away matches, with a goal difference of minus 10, and the situation is precarious. If Bahrain fails to beat Australia at home in the early hours of the next morning, our team will be at the bottom of the group again with only six points after six rounds of matches.
