Bandung secures semifinal slot
JAKARTA (JP): A penalty from captain Robby Darwis was all that saved red hot favorite Bandung from embarrassment in their match yesterday in the intercity amateur soccer championship.
Debutante Rembang was sent home with a 1-0 defeat after Robby hit from the spot in the 27th minute.
The 1990 winner has now collected four points to take the lead in Group K. The other last four spot will likely go to defending champion PSM Ujungpandang which held victory hungry Persiraja Banda Aceh 0-0 in the first match staged at Senayan stadium.
Ujungpandang garnered three points and needs only a draw in its battle against Bandung tomorrow. Aceh could only reach the semifinal with a rout of Rembang by five goals or more and an Ujungpandang loss to Bandung.
Bandung, fresh from a 4-1 victory over Aceh on Friday, started yesterday's match confidently as their forward three of Sutiono, Kekey Zakaria and Yudi Guntara dominated the area around Rembang's penalty box, marked by Tulastono and Kuncoro.
Bandung needed a lot of luck as Rembang's in-form goalkeeper Joko Darwanto produced numerous brilliant saves to stifle a likely goal-scoring spree. Rembang had some strikes of its own with a characteristic counterattack led by striker Fritz Rudolf Padwa and hard-running midfielder Hadi Suranto.
Fritz was within an inch of the goal twice in the first 25 minutes but Bandung goalkeeper Aries Rinaldie did good work to turn away the challenge.
Yudi led Bandung on a string of forays into the Rembang defense and provoked scrimmages at the goal mouth. Kekey almost put Bandung 1-0 up in the 23rd minute when a header bounced off the woodwork.
A classy effort from Yudi forced Rembang captain Joko Supriyono to take him down, as the prolific midfielder was about to find the net. Robby toyed with Rembang's goalie in the penalty execution to give his side the lead and the victory.
Bandung kept on dominating the possessions and pressed on its aggressive style in the second half, but found goalkeeper Joko their toughest hurdle. He was in the right position to frustrate well-aimed shots from Sutiono and Kekey.
Kekey had another glorious chance five minutes before the final whistle when he wriggled his way past Rembang's defense before outwitting Joko. His shot, however, went a meter from the right post.
Thriller
Defending champion PSM Ujungpandang survived a thriller on its way to securing a scoreless draw against Persiraja Banda Aceh in the other Group K match yesterday.
Despite some 3,000 home supporters who turned the 100,000-seat Senayan stadium red, Ujungpandang found little slack room by a determined Aceh. Aceh, bouncing back from a 1-4 loss to Bandung on Friday, squandered a series of chances in the last 30 minutes.
The match in front of 30,000 and filled with erroneous passes, saw Aceh's forwards Ahmad Gamal, Zarmansyah and midfielder Azwardin Lubis look set to send Ujungpandang into a nightmare with their relentless well-knit raids.
In Saturday's clash, striker Agus Winarno helped Persebaya Surabaya bounce back from the defensive in the first half to stamp a 2-0 victory over neighbor Persegres Gresik. Host Jakarta, which has not won the championship since 1979, managed only a goal-less draw against PSMS Medan in the other Group L match.
Agus grabbed his first goal in the 50th minute and scored the second twenty minutes later.
The 1988 champion, a favorite with Bandung to win the President's Cup, now leads Group L with two points. Host Jakarta and PSMS Medan share the second spot with one point each.
Standings Group K
1. Persib Bandung 2 2 0 0 5-1 4 2. PSM Ujungpandang 2 1 1 0 2-1 3 3. Persiraja Aceh 2 0 1 1 1-4 1 4. PSIR Rembang 2 0 0 2 1-3 0
Group L
1. Persebaya Surabaya 1 1 0 0 2-0 2 2. PSMS Medan 1 0 1 0 0-0 1 3. Persija Jakarta 1 0 1 0 0-0 1 4. Persegres Gresik 1 0 0 1 0-2 0
Today's fixtures
Gresik vs Medan Jakarta vs Surabaya
Scorers:
3 - Sutiono (Persib) 2 - Agus Winarno (Persebaya)