Indonesian soccer clubs clinch their first victories
Indonesian soccer clubs clinch their first victories
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's representatives got off to a winning
start on Saturday during the first rounds of the Asian Champions
Cup and Cup Winners Cup.
Brazilian Jacksen Tiago scored the winner in the 34th minute
in PSM Ujungpandang's 1-0 home leg victory over South Korean
champion Pohang Atoms at Mattoangin Stadium.
Mastrans Bandung Raya also found the net just once in its 1-0
upset of host LKPP Pahang, Malaysia, in the first leg of the Cup
Winners Cup. Midfielder Sudirman latched the lone goal for the
Bandung side in the 59th minute.
While Mastrans has an easier path to the second round with a
home match next Saturday, PSM will need a little luck in its trip
to South Korea on the same day.
In front of 30,000 cheering home crowd fans over the weekend,
PSM took the initiative from the onset. The Ujungpandang side
gave South Korean goalie Lee Mieong-year an early fright in the
11th minute when defender Bahar Muharram shot a cannon ball
around the box that narrowly missed the woodwork.
Atoms gave an equivalent reply six minutes later when Baik Ki-
hong tapped the ball into PSM's net left vacant by Ansar
Abdullah. Ali Baba, however, came just in time for a save.
Tiago, a persistent challenge on the left flank, struck the
goal in a well-knit partnership with fellow Brazilian Luciano
Leandro. Receiving a throw-in from Bahar, Leandro fed a through
pass to Tiago who was left unchallenged in the box.
The South Koreans stepped up the pace in the second half, but
a solid defensive fleet led by Bahar kept the ceaseless assaults
at bay.
Two minutes after the break, Lee Won-cheol latched a volley
past Ansar, but it went a few centimeters over the bar. Atoms
missed another golden chance when Ansar dived in for a tip-over
that foiled substitute Park Young-sub's stab from a close range
in the 76th minute.
In Pahang, Mastrans came back from a nervy start with a number
of counterattacks orchestrated by Sudirman from midfield.
The Malaysians, who were too busy with the Mastrans striking
duo of Montenegran Dejan Glusevic and Agus Suparman, let Sudirman
into the box midway through the second half. The former national
player finished off his solo run with a curled shot into the net.
(amd)