European coach praises Indonesian national team after FIFA tournament victory

Bulgarian national team coach acknowledges his team encountered many challenges when facing Indonesia.

Indonesia narrowly suffered a 0-1 defeat to Bulgaria in the FIFA Series 2026 Indonesia final at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium on Monday evening (30/3/2026). The decisive goal for Bulgaria was scored by Marin Petkov in the 38th minute from a successfully executed penalty. With this result, Indonesia secured the runner-up position while Bulgaria claimed the championship title.

Despite the loss, the Indonesian national team delivered an impressive performance throughout the 90 minutes against Bulgaria. Conversely, Bulgaria faced greater pressure; although playing efficiently, they consistently waited for counter-attacking opportunities.

The performance of the Indonesian national team received praise from Bulgarian coach Aleksandar Dimitrov. He admitted that Indonesia's gameplay had improved, requiring his team to exert great effort to ultimately secure the win.

Coach Aleksandar Dimitrov lavishly praised the Indonesian national team. The 49-year-old coach was deeply impressed by Indonesia's performance, the team he defeated in the Monday evening FIFA Series final.

"What is written in Bulgaria about Indonesian football and their level is completely unreasonable. Indonesia has good players and resembles a mid-tier European team. This is an important victory," Dimitrov said, according to a report by Bulgaria's Top Sport media.

Dimitrov is satisfied with what he saw in the 1-0 victory over Indonesia in the FIFA Series final

"I am very pleased with this victory, and everyone should also be pleased with the players' dedication. They still have a long road ahead, but they tried their best. Thank you to the players. I am very happy for them. Their efforts have been rewarded. We defeated Indonesia, and that is what led to this result," the Bulgarian tactician concluded.

Indonesian coach expresses one thing upon losing the FIFA tournament championship

After a regrettable loss to Bulgaria, Indonesia misses its chance for the FIFA tournament crown