Goalless Draw For Australia Vs. Indonesia In World Cup Qualifying Clash

Add as a preferred source on Google

Australia's inability to convert chances into goals continued in their World Cup qualifying campaign as they drew 0-0 with Indonesia on Tuesday. Nestory Irankunda came closest for the Socceroos, hitting the woodwork, but Graham Arnold's team couldn't secure their first win in the third round of the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers.

Indonesia started strong, with Sandy Walsh and Rafael Struick testing Mat Ryan within the first 17 seconds. Despite this early pressure, Australia dominated much of the game. Harry Souttar had a couple of efforts saved quickly before Irankunda struck the woodwork from distance just after the half-hour mark.

In the second half, Australia pushed for a breakthrough but struggled to create significant opportunities. Craig Goodwin had Australia's only shot on target after the break. Witan Sulaeman nearly stole a win for Indonesia at the end but missed a close-range shot under no pressure.

The Socceroos' recent form has been disappointing. They suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain in their last match due to an own goal by Souttar. Their lack of finishing prowess was evident again against Indonesia, as they managed 19 shots (five on target) but failed to score.

The last time Australia recorded more shots without scoring was against the United Arab Emirates in January 2019 during the Asian Cup when they had 22 shots. Meanwhile, Indonesia's defence remained solid throughout, though they offered little offensively with only two shots on target, both occurring within seconds of each other.

This result leaves Australia still searching for their first win in this stage of World Cup qualifying. The team will need to find a way to be more clinical in front of goal if they hope to progress further.