Petrokimia survives dramatic semifinal<\/p>\n
Petrokimia Gresik dashed pre-tournament favorite Semen
\nPadang's hopes of winning the soccer league title in a dramatic
\npenalty shoot-out that decided their semifinal match on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Both teams were tied at 1-1 after the full 30 minutes of extra
\ntime.<\/p>\n
Goalkeeper Mukti Ali Raja was the toast of the match for
\nmaking three acrobatic saves during the shoot-out won by the East
\nJavanese side 3-2. Petrokimia will meet Persita Tangerang on
\nSunday at Jakarta's Bung Karno Stadium, with both teams making
\ntheir first appearance at the final.<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old goalkeeper showed maturity beyond his age as
\nhe used both his feet and fists to block attempts by Elie Aiboy,
\nSyafril MM and Kusdiyanto in the deciding penalty shoot-out.<\/p>\n
Kusdiyanto's saved penalty shot was a disappointing finish on
\nThursday because he had given Semen Padang the upperhand with his
\nopening goal after 34 minutes. He smacked home a rebound after
\nMukti failed to hold off a scoring attempt by Aboy.<\/p>\n
Petrokimia was left waiting for almost half an hour for an
\nequalizer. Jainal Ichwan sped past two Semen Padang defenders for
\na cross from the right flank before beating the last man
\nstanding, Zulkarnaen Zakaria.<\/p>\n
The 100,000-seat Bung Karno Stadium looked empty as there were
\nonly around 20,000 spectators.<\/p>\n
Referee Bambang Pamilih booked five players, three from Semen
\nPadang, during the relatively incident-free match.<\/p>\n
Petrokimia coach Sergei Dubrovin said divine intervention had
\nhelped his squad reach the final.<\/p>\n
\"My players were already burned out after extra time, but Lady
\nLuck smiled on us,\" Dubrovin said, as quoted by Antara after the
\nmatch.<\/p>\n
He admitted Semen Padang was a better side and dominated
\npossession of the ball during the marathon match.<\/p>\n
Man of the Match Mukti shared the view of his coach, saying he
\nhad said a prayer before the penalty shoot-out to build up his
\nconfidence.<\/p>",
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