Persija bows 0-1 to Persita Tangerang

JAKARTA (JP): Home favorite Persija Jakarta was routed 0-1 by Persita Tangerang in the western division's first round at the 2001 Bank Mandiri soccer league at Benteng stadium, Tangerang, on Wednesday.

Persita's Uci Sanusi scored his team's only goal in the 65th minute.

"Persita's victory was sheer luck, plus we received unfair treatment from referee M. Saugi ever since the match started, and it demoralized our players," said Persija coach Andi Lala.

He said all his players had followed his instruction and had displayed high individual skills to earn points but the team was out of luck.

Persita coach Beni Dolo denied that it was sheer luck that his team won the match, saying that it resulted from hard work.

"How can any player expect to win a match with luck alone, without good teamwork?" he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Another Jakarta club, Persijatim, tied 0-0 with PSBL of Bandar Lampung at the Lebak Bulus stadium, South Jakarta.

Persijatim coach Dananjaya said he was disappointed by the results because the players missed many chances to score a goal. "Our rival had a solid defense and we were not lucky," he said.

In Bandung, Persib defeated Persikab 1-0 in a derby match at the Siliwangi stadium.

Striker Nana Setia Permana scored the sole goal for Persib in the 86th minute after he escaped a scrimmage in front of Persikab's net.

In Sidoarjo, East Java, league runner-up Pupuk Kaltim (PKT) of Bontang, East Kalimantan, had a scoreless tie with host Gelora Putra Delta, formerly Gelora Dewata of Bali.

PKT almost won the match but a goal by its top striker Marthen Tao in the 76th minute was disregarded by referee Maman as Marthen was in the offside position.

In Malang, East Java, Ahmad Junaidi scored a goal in the 57th minute to ensure Arema Malang 1-0 victory over visitor Putra Samarinda (Pusam).

Ahmad escaped the scrimmage and kicked a pass from teammate Nanang Supriadi, who saw Pusam's goalie Ahmad Nursadi leave his post. A Pusam official protested the goal, saying the ball was kicked from an offside position. But the referee stuck with his decision.

In Banda Aceh, host Persiraja outclassed PSMS Medan 4-2 at Harapan Bangsa stadium.

Irwansyah of Persija scored two goals in the 31st and 46th minutes. Fauzi Irvan scored one goal in the 23th minute and one minute later, Suharyono scored another.

Marbanda Marco scored all the goals for PSMS in the 10th and 68th minutes, the agency reported. (ivy)