Indonesian Goalkeeper Receives Praise After Draw with Saudi Arabia
Indonesian media have lavished praise on Maarten Paes after the naturalized goalkeeper starred in Indonesia’s 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia in their opening match of Group C in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
In the 77th minute, Maarten Paes made a slow ball-handling mistake, leading to a penalty. However, he redeemed himself by correctly diving to save Salem Al Dawsari’s penalty shot aimed at the bottom right corner. In the final minutes, Paes also made a crucial save against Mohammed Kanno’s long-range shot and won a one-on-one duel with Feras Al Brikan.
The Dutch-Indonesian goalkeeper concluded his debut match for the national team with 42 touches, five saves, and faced 18 shots from the hosts. His performance helped Indonesia achieve their first-ever draw against Saudi Arabia in an official tournament, ending a streak of 11 losses. Born in 1998, Paes has received widespread acclaim from Indonesian fans across various forums.
This is Indonesia’s first appearance in the third round of World Cup qualifiers for the Asian region. Previously, in the second round, the team finished second in Group F, overcoming several strong opponents and only trailing Iraq.
Paes, who developed his career in Dutch football, played for Utrecht from 2018 to 2022 before joining FC Dallas in the United States, where he currently plays. His naturalization process with Indonesia was completed in April, but he was unable to play due to FIFA’s refusal to transfer his association from the Netherlands to Indonesia. FIFA’s rules state that players can only switch national teams before the age of 22, and at that time, Paes had already played for the Netherlands U21.
The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) decided to appeal to FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber, which held a hearing on August 15. Three days later, PSSI confirmed that FIFA had granted permission for Paes to play for Indonesia.
Former Indonesian goalkeeper Wahyudi thanked PSSI President Erick Thohir for bringing in a quality goalkeeper. “Paes’s calmness provides comfort and confidence to his teammates,” Wahyudi told Bola. “Indonesia now needs a sharp forward to compete for a World Cup spot.”
After the opening match, Indonesia is in third place in Group C with one point, level with Saudi Arabia. Japan leads the group after a 7-0 thrashing of China, while Bahrain is second with a surprising 1-0 victory over Australia.
In the next match on September 10, Indonesia will host Australia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
