Indonesia's national team coach shocks by defeating both Japan and the World Cup host

The new Indonesian coach boasts an impressive record in Asia, having overcome some of the continent's top teams.

The appointment of John Herdman by the Indonesian Football Federation quickly made a strong impact in the region. Although he does not come from Asian football, the English coach has unique experience facing leading teams in the continent, which makes experts believe Indonesia is aiming to achieve progress beyond the Southeast Asian standard.

While leading Canada's men's team in preparation for the 2022 World Cup, Herdman faced many strong Asian representatives. Most notably, a 2-0 victory over Qatar, the World Cup host, in a friendly match in September 2022. Canada played with discipline and effectiveness, creating a major surprise on neutral ground.

Not stopping there, one week before the 2022 World Cup, Herdman's Canada continued to make waves by beating Japan 2-1. Despite falling behind, the North American team came back with resilience and smart tactical adjustments. This result helped Herdman leave a strong impression on Asian opponents.

Besides these two notable wins, Canada also drew 2-2 with Bahrain in the same series of friendlies, completing an unbeaten streak against Asian teams. Previously, at the youth level, Herdman also led Canada U23 to a draw against Japan U21, showing his understanding when facing East Asian teams.

These facts have drawn widespread attention from Southeast Asian media. ASEAN Football described Indonesia's appointment of Herdman as "a bold step," also emphasizing that he is “One of the rare coaches to have led both the men's and women's national teams of the same country to FIFA World Cups.”

Under Herdman, Canadian football underwent a complete transformation, rising from a modest FIFA ranking to the top tier in the CONCACAF region and returning to the World Cup after more than three decades. For Indonesia, Herdman's experience in beating Japan and Qatar is seen as a promising foundation, especially as the Indonesian team prepares to enter Asia's toughest football competitions.