There were only 18 seconds on the clock on Tuesday when Indonesia almost took the lead against Australia if not for two smart saves in quick succession from opposition goalkeeper Mathew Ryan. Before the third minute of play was up, they had already won three corners as their more-illustrious opponents looked bewildered at the intense early pressure they found themselves under. And while Australia eventually steadied, even deep into injury-time-- when what would have been a creditable draw was well within Indonesia's grasp -- they still went in search of a winner as Pratama Arhan opted for a long throw into a crowded opposition box rather than look to play out the remainder of the contest. Ultimately, no victors would emerge from an enthralling 0-0 draw played in front of a sellout crowd at the cauldron that is the 85,000-capacity Gelora Bung Karno. But as they maintained their unbeaten start to the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with another impressive draw against far higher-ranked opponents, Indonesia once again showed they can match it with the continent's best. Just five days earlier, one of the most famous evenings in Indonesian football had come in the form of a 1-1 draw away to Saudi Arabia -- a team ranked 77 places above world number 133 Indonesia on the FIFA standings. On Tuesday, another stern test came in the form of the 24th-ranked Australians, who were desperate to bounce back from a shock 1-0 opening loss to Bahrain and whose pre-match talk surrounded on bringing their A game against the underdog opposition -- who they had beaten 4-0 at the start of this year at the AFC Asian Cup. But if any team looked up for the fight from the opening whistle, it was Indonesia. Sandy Walsh and Calvin Verdonk positioned themselves adventurously high in their wing-back positions, while the front three of Ragnar Oratmangoen, Marselino Ferdinan and Rafael Struick constantly kept the Socceroos backline on their toes with their fluid movement and interplay. At one stage, the hosts even boasted 60% of possession -- which ordinarily would have been unthinkable. Nonetheless, Australia are one of Asian football's best teams for a reason. They weathered the early storm, grinded their way back into the contest, and then gained the ascendancy. Through it all, Indonesia would hold their own. The returning Justin Hubner slotted into the back five, allowing Verdonk to move out to the left and shifting Nathan Tjoe-A-On into the engine room for some added muscle. Against the dynamic Jackson Irvine and the inventive Keanu Baccus, Tjoe-A-On and Ivar Jenner proved worthy opponents in an intriguing midfield battle. And as the game wore on, Indonesia's newfound depth came to the fore. Arhan and Witan Sulaeman, both former mainstays in the starting XI, were this time able to be kept in reserve along with Thom Haye -- who makes it seem a real luxury to have an Eredivisie veteran waiting in the wings. In what is regarded as the 'group of death' in the third round of Asian qualifiers, Indonesia have somehow emerged from what looked a dire opening set of fixtures with two valuable points. All of a sudden, coach Shin Tae-Yong's target of a top-four finish -- which would at least see Indonesia advance to the next stage -- no longer seems fanciful. There is more work ahead of Indonesia yet, now that they have recorded some draws, it is time to take it further and rack up some wins - and there looks to be no better opportunity come October when they take on Bahrain and China, who -- on paper at least -- loom as their most winnable ties. For now, Indonesia can look back on their efforts from the past week with some satisfaction -- and gain more encouragement for their future endeavours that they can indeed hold their own against Asia's elite. The Socceroos’ hopes of qualifying directly for the 2026 World Cup have taken another massive hit after being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Indonesia, increasing the pressure on coach Graham Arnold and his underperforming players. The blowtorch was on the national team after last week’s shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain on home soil, but for the second successive match to start the third round of Asian World Cup qualifying, they were held scoreless by a relative minnow of the confederation. The result leaves them flagging in fifth position in Group C, already three points adrift of current leaders Saudi Arabia, who staged a come-from-behind 2-1 win over China after being reduced to 10 men. And it sharpens the scrutiny on Arnold, his tactics and his selections, with the national team clearly struggling to function in attack against teams like Indonesia and Bahrain who sit back in numbers and defend – and while he is often criticised for his pragmatic, fairly rudimentary style of play, the coach was also clearly let down by a lack of quality from his players on the night. This match was more open than the Bahrain clash, with Indonesia showing a little more dare, but still the Socceroos were dominant in all facets except for the one that matters: the score. They had 63 per cent of possession, 15 corners to three, and generated 19 shots on goal with five of them on target, all for naught in the end. Most of their play was again based on long balls, crosses and set pieces, but the delivery from dead-ball delivery men Craig Goodwin and Sam Silvera left plenty to be desired. Australia’s best chance of the first half fell to Nestory Irankunda, who was handed a start by Arnold as one of five changes to the team that fell to Bahrain. Like he did so often for Adelaide United, Irankunda took a long-range shot from distance which rocketed into the right post and nearly deflected into the goal off the back of Indonesia’s goalkeeper Maarten Paes, who knew little about it. Adam Taggart also had a golden opportunity moments after he was introduced in the second half but directed his shot straight at Paes from almost point-blank range. This is only the second time in their past 10 meetings that the Socceroos have dropped points to Indonesia. Ranked 133 in the world, the hosts were backed by a ferocious crowd of nearly 80,000 fans at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, and rode their support right to the end. Next month, the Socceroos face China at Adelaide Oval and then travel for a daunting showdown with rivals and likely group pacesetters Japan. Anything less than a win over China will further imperil hopes of a two-two finish in Group C and lead to further questioning on if Arnold is the right man to take them forward to the 2026 World Cup.