Patrick Kluivert was proud of his team after his first victory as Indonesian coach. The 48-year-old Dutchman and prestigious former Oranje international promised the fans that the victory over Bahrain is the start of something beautiful. Kluivert also had words of praise for goal scorer Ole Romeny as well as debutant Joey Pelupessy.
Kluivert suffered a heavy defeat last Thursday in his debut against Australia (5-1), but on Tuesday night, Indonesia did well against Bahrain to stay in the hunt for World Cup 2026 qualification. A relieved Kluivert said at the press conference after the game: “I am very proud of the team. They played with heart and created chances. This is just the beginning.”
Continuing with praise for his goalscoring striker Ole Romeny, Kluivert continued, “He has now scored in two games out of two. I hope he can also put together form like that at Oxford United and then score even more goals when he comes back here in June.”
Debutant Pelupessy also received compliments from the former Ajax, Barcelona and Oranje striker. The 31-year-old midfielder of Lommel SK remained on the bench against Australia, but started in the first team against Bahrain. “I know Joey very well. I was his trainer in 2011 at FC Twente, I know his qualities. He did a fantastic job. He feels at home in the number 6 position. I am proud of him, that he plays like that in his first match.”
Timnas’ head coach was also pleased with the atmosphere in the packed GKB stadium. “The atmosphere was fantastic. We knew it would be like this, 69,000 people cheered for us. We had asked for that too. I want to thank the fans, but as I said: this is just the beginning. There is still a lot of potential in this team. We can give the fans a lot, as long as they continue to support us and believe in us, then we can achieve many great things.”
Indonesia will now focus on achieving either third or fourth place to seal a place in the next round after the initial defeat against Australia. Kluivert was aware of the task at hand and the prospect of direct World Cup qualification.
“There is always a chance, but it will be very difficult. Our goal is to go to the World Cup. We do our best to win the matches, but it also depends on Australia. I will always have hope. We will keep fighting until the end.”
