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Bandung spurs 4-1 victory over Aceh
JAKARTA (JP): Ace striker Sutiono fired a hat-trick to lift Persib Bandung to a 4-1 win over Persiraja Banda Aceh in their opening match of the intercity amateur soccer championship at Senayan stadium yesterday.
The victory put Bandung, winner of the championship four times since 1937, at the top of the table in Group K on goal difference over reigning champion PSM Ujungpandang which scored a 2-1 retaliation win over newcomer PSIR Rembang.
Sutiono shocked the shaky defense of Aceh, suffering in the absence of the experienced Zulkifli Daud, with a goal to help Bandung go 2-0 up in the first half. The 28-year-old civil servant romped through with two goals in the second, before mid- fielder Azwardin Lubis scored a consolation goal four minutes before the final whistle.
Bandung is led by Robby Darwis, the seasoned player who started confidently with an aggressive brand of soccer. This offensive style won superiority in the midfield throughout the 90-minute battle, leaving the under-form Aceh players no room to strike back.
The three defensemen Abdul Rachman, who replaces Zulkilfi, Ramadhana and Tarmizi Rasyid could not overcome their nerves to match the solid partnership of the West Javanese forwards led by Yusuf Bachtiar.
Zulkilfi is currently serving a two-year ban for assaulting the referee during a match with Tangerang in the qualifying round.
The banner waving, screaming, 60,000 strong crowd that filled the 100,000-seat stadium found their thirst of goals satiated as the unmarked Sutiono strolled in Aceh's penalty area with a thunderous left kick past goalkeeper Sisgiardi in the eighth minute.
Aceh squandered a golden chance at evening up the score when Azwardin misfired a free kick within Bandung's penalty area. Referee Widiyanto Nugroho awarded the free kick to Aceh as goalkeeper Aries Rinaldi took a long possession of the ball.
Midfielder Kekey Zakaria put Bandung 2-0 ahead when he repeated teammate Sutiono's brilliant solo run which beat Sisgiardi in the 25th minute. Aceh attempted several counter attacks but failed in the coup-de-grace, mainly due to Roy Darwis' successful close marking against goal machine Dahlan Jalil.
Slow
Both sides slowed in the second half, with Bandung dominating the possession and Aceh displaying its characteristic power of play. However, it cost Aceh two yellow cards that were given by Widiyanto to fouling Azwardin and substitute Anwar.
Aceh's vulnerable defense played havoc to the goal spree in the second half produced by Sutiono. The hard-running targetman found the net with a well-aimed shot inside Aceh's penalty area.
Bandung was on the brink of repeating its 4-0 rout against Aceh in the qualifying round when Sutiono headed a rebound ten minutes later, following Sisgiardi's blunder of miscatching the ball. Azwardin, however, struck a consolation for the country's western-most side with a goal two minutes into the time.
"We were completely outclassed by Bandung," Aceh coach Parlin Siagian said in grief after the match. The coach revealed his guarded pessimism that he could make dramatic changes in his squad leading to the next matches.
In the second Group K battle, Ujungpandang took the initiative in the match by putting on superb pressure, but missed a string of chances in its goalmouth actions of the first quarter.
The defending champion immediately swept back into the attack. Midfielder Yusrifar Djafar drove a pass from rightwinger Kaharuddin Jamal to the net to give Ujungpandang a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute.
Ujungpandang went further in the second half as leftwinger Arief Kamaruddin scored a goal in the 76th minute. Fritz Rudolf Padwa helped Rembang, which beat Ujungpandang 1-0 in their last meet, bounce back with his goal four minutes later. (amd)