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Indonesia’s swing through the Middle East got off to a rough start on Saturday, with a momentary lapse in concentration sending the national team to a 1-0 loss in Jordan.

With their last warm-up completed, the Merah Putih will remain in Amman for a brief training camp before traveling to Iran. Indonesia opens the third round of 2014 World Cup qualifying in Tehran on Sept. 2.

Both sides came into the friendly at Amman International Stadium with World Cup qualifying on their minds -- Indonesia is in Group E with Iran, Qatar and Bahrain while Jordan faces China, Iraq and Singapore in Group A -- and neither side left overly pleased. The difference in the match was a flub by Indonesia’s substitute goalkeeper Markus Haris Maulana, who allowed a corner kick to slip past him and into the net.

Markus entered the match after 30 minutes, replacing Ferry Rotinsulu after the Sriwijaya FC keeper left the field with what looked to be a right knee complaint. The Indonesia No. 1’s hesitancy to leave his line ended up costing the team in the 49th minute. Jordan forward Abdullah Deeb curled in a corner kick from the left that Markus jumped for but failed to collect. The ball struck the far post and rebounded into the net off the head of defender Benny Wahyudi, who had strayed from the post in an attempt to head the ball clear.

Benny started at left back in place of Mohammad Nasuha, who will miss the Iran match after picking up two yellow cards during the second round of Asian qualifying against Turkmenistan. Both of Indonesia’s fullbacks, Benny and right back Zulkifli Syukur, endured a trying evening against Jordan’s three-man front and could find themselves on the bench in Tehran.

Markus’ mental malfunction aside, though, Jordan also failed to generate clear-cut scoring chances. Indonesia head coach Wim Rijsbergen sent his side out in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and the players showed good tactical discipline in limiting the host’s opportunities. They also showed better patience when in possession than in last week’s home friendly against Palestine, keeping the ball and probing for openings rather than hitting it long against bigger, more physical defenders.

Indonesia could have taken the lead in the first 20 minutes. Cristian Gonzales, the lone striker through whom most of the team’s attacks ran, played Muhammad Ridwan behind the Jordan defense and one-on-one with goalkeeper Amer Shafia. Rather than take the better angle and shoot with his right foot, though, Ridwan dragged a left-footed shot wide. The midfielder also saw two good efforts saved just before halftime.

Jordan eventually took control, piling on the pressure for the first 15 minutes of the second half. A succession of careless giveaways and cheaply conceded corner kicks did little to improve Indonesia’s lot. Gonzales became a progressively more peripheral figure, having to track back almost into his own half to receive the ball amid dwindling service.

Indonesia now has less than a week to regroup and shake off any weariness from jet lag or the lingering effects of the fasting month. The players will need every bit of their wits about them as they try to emerge from the cauldron that is Tehran’s massive Azadi Stadium with a positive result.