Persija and Persebaya draw matches

JAKARTA (JP): Both top ranked Persebaya Surabaya and Persija Jakarta failed to win their second matches in the fifth Indonesian soccer league round robin on Friday.

Cheered on by about 500 members of their Jak Mania supporter club at the Senayan soccer stadium, Persija could not find form against PSMS Medan and had to settle for a 2-2 draw. While in the second game, Persebaya, who were overconfident during the first half, faced a tough offense from Semen Padang and also tied 2-2 in the Group II match.

Persija and Persebaya, both teams remaining on top in each group, have four points after playing two matches each. They both won their first matches.

In Friday's first game, Persija striker Miro Baldo Bento scored six minutes into the second period thanks to a pass by compatriot Rocky Puttiray.

But PSMS striker Jean Michel Baboaken of Cameroon equaled the score two minutes later when defender Olinga Atangana, also of Cameroon, failed to block his foray into the goal square.

Persija led 2-1 when PSMS defender Ardi Mulyono scored an own goal in the 74th minute. But Baboaken once again equalized in the 81st minute.

"I'm satisfied with the team's performance. They followed my instructions," said Suimin Diharja, PSMS's coach.

Persija's star midfielder, Luciano Leandro, failed to shine through consistent pressure from PSMS.

"I had told them to stay in the center field but our players seemed to lose their spirit. They failed to develop the strategy. Some of the guys, including Luciano and Dedi (Umarella) did not perform well," Persija coach Herry Kiswanto said.

In the second match, Persebaya was leading 2-0 in the first half because of cracks in the Semen Padang defense.

"We were tense and lost our confidence in the first half. But later we fired up. We put more pressure on Persebaya although we were running out of steam," said Semen Padang's coach, Jenni Wardin.

Persebaya players paid dearly for their cockiness, with two goals from Semen Padang strikers Kusdianto and Buyung Ismu in the second half.

Semen Padang captain, Maskur Rauf, said Kusdianto was the team's motor, especially so in the second half.

"He played really well and boosted our spirits, while Persebaya players were overconfident and lost control of the game in the second half," he said.

Eri Irianto of Persebaya blamed the loss on striker Uston Nawawi's absence due to injury.

"Without Uston, our midfield was really weak. We had many chances but we blew. I think we were too sure of ourselves with the 2-0 lead," he said.

Coach Rusdy Bahalwan said his players were overwhelmed by the new tactics employed by Semen Padang in the second half. "We thought we could dominate the whole match but Semen Padang dictated our players."

Saturday's Group I match will feature PSM Ujung Pandang and Pupuk Kaltim, and PSIS Semarang will compete with Petrokimia Putra in the Group II game. (ivy)

Results: PSMS Medan 2 Persija Jakarta 2 Persebaya Surabaya 2 Semen Padang 2