Mastrans breaks jinx with league win

Mastrans breaks jinx with league win

JAKARTA (JP): Two early first-half goals thrusted Mastrans
Bandung Raya to its first league championship title with a 2-0
win over PSM Ujungpandang yesterday.

PSM defied the heavy rain which drenched Senayan stadium right
before the kick-off to take the initiative, but it was Bandung
which put the ball in the net after only four minutes.

A sandwiched M. Ramdhan fed a through pass into the box to an
unmarked Peri Sandria who mercilessly drove home a right-footer
that beat Ujungpandang's goalkeeper Anshar Abdullah.

The Ujungpandang side, which enjoyed the most possessions
during the final between two conference champions, kept up the
pressure but was thwarted by Bandung's stubborn defense marshaled
by Cameroon's Olinga Atananga.

Mastrans, which was without suspended Montenegran top scorer
Dejan Glusevic, again benefited from a swift counterattack to
strike a second goal in the 14th minute. Peri, seeking his 26th
goal of the season, burst into the box before Ronny Ririm fouled
him down, awarding the Bandung team a penalty.

Anshar showed his superb reflexes by denying Alexander
Saununu's execution shot, but Rafni Kotari came in time to
collect the rebound and send it into the empty net.

Complaining of bad refereeing, the PSM players almost prompted
a walk-out during the break. They agreed to return to the pitch
after Maj. Gen. Agum Gumelar, chief of the Wirabuana Military
Command overseeing Sulawesi, intervened.

"I know what you all feel, but please don't spoil the match,"
said Agum, who was also a former amateur league administrator for
the All-Indonesia Football Association.

Eastern conference champion PSM piled on the pressure after
the interval, limiting the Mastrans players to a few counter
attacks. At the height of the ceaseless siege, Bandung's goalie
Hermansyah made a barrage of stunning saves to keep PSM's up-
front charges at bay.

Defense

Bandung's coach Henk Wullems let veteran Herry Kiswanto come
off the bench with 15 minutes remaining to solidify the defense.
Wullems also withdrew Peri five minutes later, but even an
overwhelming PSM failed to break the duck.

"Mastrans deserved the victory. They played with exceptional
composure despite the fact that they were extremely exhausted
after the Asian Cup Winners Cup last week and a marathon
semifinal on Friday," soccer observer Sinyo Aliandu said.

PSM's complaints continued after the match, with manager
Nurdin Halid threatening to resign. "I'm leaving the sport for
good after seeing my dreams of fair play shattered here," a
dejected Nurdin said.

"I'm very disappointed with the referee. Everybody knew that
we deserved at least four penalties," added the manager, who hurt
his ear during a flare-up between supporters during Friday's
semifinal against Persipura Jayapura.

PSM coach Mohammad Basri was tight-lipped about his team's
defeat.

The opposite mood prevailed on the Bandung side, with its
players spraying their soft drinks at each other during a victory
celebration. Manager Tri Gustoro, who resigned his managerial
post on the national team following Indonesia's flop in the Tiger
Cup recently, shed tears of joy along with his players.

Vice President Try Sutrisno presented the President's Cup to
the Bandung players.

Glusevic, who watched the match from the tribune, topped the
scorers list and was awarded a pair of golden boots plus Rp 10
million (US$4,300). The best player and Rp 25 million cash prize
went to Persipura's Robby Wabia.

Outside the stadium, disappointed fans turned over a car near
the Senayan Plaza shopping center and hurled stones at buses.
Opposing fans also traded stones around the area. No serious
victims were reported after the match at which some 4,000
security officers were deployed.

In Bandung, the chilly weather which gripped the city
following hours of heavy rain prevented soccer fans from turning
out for an across-the-city victory parade. (15/bsr/amd)

Photo on Page 13