Jakarta, MINA – The 2026 FIFA Series Final in Indonesia pitted the Garuda Indonesia national team against Bulgaria, a formidable European opponent, at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK) on Monday evening.
Rizky Ridho and his teammates advanced to the final after defeating Saint Kitts and Nevis 4-0 on Friday (March 27) and Bulgaria thrashed the Solomon Islands 10-2.
Everyone agreed that facing Bulgaria was a real test for John Herdman’s team, after a strong debut in the first match.
Early in the first half, the Indonesian players immediately pressed the Bulgarian players.
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In the 12th minute, the Garuda Indonesia team had the attacking momentum with two corner kicks and a free kick. However, there was no final finish.
Jay Idzes and his teammates continued to maintain possession.
Indonesia’s strong possession forced Bulgarian player Martin Georgiev (20) into fouling Ole Romeny (10) in the 24th minute. The first yellow card of the match was awarded to Georgiev.
In the 35th minute, midway through the match, referee Nazmi Nasaruddin suddenly stopped play and checked the VAR recording on the off-field monitor.
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The referee observed an incident moments earlier, when a Bulgarian player was brought down by Kevin Diks (2) in the penalty box. Previously, the referee had not deemed the incident a foul.
The Malaysian referee then awarded a penalty to Indonesia.
Marin Petkov (16) stepped up to take the penalty. With a cool deflection, Petkov managed to outwit goalkeeper Emil Audero (1). His shot, which was headed for the top corner, was the goal.
The score was 0-1 in favor of Bulgaria.
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That score remained until halftime. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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