Host nation Indonesia booked their place in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 final in dramatic fashion on Thursday night, delivering a ruthless 9-2 annihilation of Bangladesh at a packed Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium to top Group A on goal difference ahead of regional rivals Malaysia.
United States-based striker Mitchell Baker was the star of a chaotic evening, plundering four first-half goals as John Herdman’s side overpowered Thomas Dooley’s men to set up a gold-medal clash against Group B winners Thailand. The devastating defeat concluded a winless tournament for Bangladesh, who finished bottom of the group without a single point.
Before kick-off, both sets of players, technical staff, and supporters observed a solemn minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy. Once the referee blew his whistle, however, Indonesia showed little mercy on the pitch, unleashing a relentless high-pressing assault that exposed Bangladesh’s structural frailties within minutes.
The scoring opened in the 11th minute when Dutch-born forward Ole Romeny split the Bangladeshi defence with a precise threaded pass, allowing Mitchell Baker to slide a cool, low finish past goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon. Baker doubled his tally nine minutes later, reacting sharpest to backheel a rebound into the net after Srabon had parried initial efforts from Romeny and Ragnar Oratmangoen.
Indonesia’s vice-like grip on the contest tightened further in the 32nd minute when central defender Rizky Ridho joined the attack, latching onto a loose ball inside the penalty box to drive an angled strike past Srabon into the far corner for a 3-0 lead.
Bangladesh managed to stem the tide briefly in the 36th minute with a rare moment of offensive quality. Winger Shuki Itofusa collected a long precision pass from Sohel Rana Sr and delivered an inch-perfect cross into the penalty area, where Shahriar Emon rose above his marker to head past the Indonesian goalkeeper, marking Bangladesh’s first goal of the entire tournament.
Any lingering hope of a Bangladeshi recovery was extinguished within 60 seconds. Baker completed his hat-trick straight from the restart, capitalizing on a defensive turnover to restore Indonesia’s three-goal cushion. In the 42nd minute, Baker claimed his fourth goal of the match, rising unchallenged to convert a pin-point long delivery from Justin Hubner.
Justin Hubner turned from provider to scorer in first-half stoppage time, calmly steering home a set-piece delivery to send the host nation into the dressing room with an emphatic 6-1 lead at the interval break.
Despite the heavy scoreline, Bangladesh displayed greater defensive organisation during the second half, anchored by a series of fine saves from Srabon. The young Bangladeshi custodian repeatedly denied dangerous attempts from Romeny, Luke Vickery, and Elkan Baggott to keep the scoreline manageable for much of the second period as John Herdman rotated his squad.
The contest exploded into life again during a wild closing nine minutes. In the 90th minute, second-half substitute Vickery finished off a sweeping team movement following neat work from Romeny to make it 7-1. However, Bangladesh responded immediately in the 91st minute when teenage substitute Farhaan Ali Wahid broke clear on a counter-attack to slot home his country’s second goal.
Tempers flared shortly afterwards when an off-the-ball incident involving Romeny and a Bangladeshi defender sparked a touchline confrontation between both benches. Once order was restored on the pitch, Indonesia resumed their relentless attack with devastating efficiency from a 93rd-minute set-piece, where defender Kevin Diks rose highest to head home their eighth goal.
There was still time for even further drama in the 94th minute of injury time. Ole Romeny collected possession on the right wing and unselfishly squared for Mitchell Baker to tap in from close range, capping a remarkable 9-2 victory that saw Indonesia dramatically edge Malaysia on goal difference.
