Indonesia narrows the gap with the Vietnam national team in the FIFA rankings

The Indonesian national team earned 12.25 more points on the FIFA ranking after back-to-back wins over Oman and Mozambique during the June FIFA Days.

According to the latest updated rankings, Indonesia has climbed four places to 118th in the world.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam national team remains in 99th place globally with 1,225.68 points. Tajikistan seemed poised to overtake Vietnam, but they drew 1-1 with India last night (June 9). That result cost them 1.33 points, pushing them down to 101st in the world.

Mozambique also missed the chance to surpass Vietnam in the FIFA rankings after losing 0-1 to Indonesia.

In the Southeast Asian region, Vietnam still ranks second, with Thailand holding the top spot.

The June FIFA Days period is always a major challenge, as players have just completed a long season with their clubs. However, coach John Herdman noted that the Indonesian team maintained their focus and performed well against Mozambique.

"I am truly proud of the players. The past season was very long, and national team gatherings in June are always a test.

The players had to stay fully focused on their tasks, and tonight they managed to do just that."

According to Herdman, Mozambique arrived in Jakarta with high determination to restore their image and applied significant pressure. This was something the Indonesian coaching staff had anticipated.

"We expected Mozambique to come out like a wounded animal, playing with maximum spirit and intensity, and that's exactly what happened.

But again, I think our players controlled the game for most of the time and showed their quality."

Despite scoring only one goal, Herdman highly valued the lessons the match provided for the Indonesian team. He was particularly pleased with his players' resilience and ability to overcome moments when the opponent applied pressure.

"Of course, it's a pity we didn't score more goals. But at the same time, I am very happy to see the players' composed performance during periods of pressure, fighting hard to get through.

We needed that. We needed such tests."

Coach Herdman also compared it to the match against Oman: "I think in the game against Oman, we faced huge pressure during transitions. But tonight, the players were able to shift from defense to attack much faster than many expected."

Coach John Herdman described the victory over Mozambique as a "necessary test" and expressed great pride that the Indonesian players demonstrated their character and professional quality after a long season.