Persija, PSM to lock horns in final

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

PSM Makassar moved a step closer to its first ever back-to- back Indonesian soccer league titles after winning a dramatic penalty shoot-out against PSMS Medan 3-2 on Thursday.

The South Sulawesi team will see host Persija stand between it and the President's Cup on Sunday. Unlike the defending champions who played a hard-fought semifinal, Persija dominated Persebaya Surabaya for a well-deserved 2-1 win at the packed Bung Karno Stadium.

It will be Persija's first appearance in the final since 1979, when it beat PSMS to win the league, which then was an amateur competition.

Both semifinals went relatively untroubled, despite the heavy security provided by some 15,000 troops. A group of disappointed Surabaya soccer fans, known locally as bonek (penniless supporters), set fire to two sections of the stand after Persija slammed in the winner, but security personnel managed to prevent them from moving farther.

After a spell of uninspired play, in which Persija international striker Bambang Pamungkas could not make good his chances, the hosts broke their duck in the 42nd minute through Brazilian signing Luciano Leandro.

Persebaya leveled the tie 20 minutes after the restart from the spot kick after Nuralim felled substitute Rahael Tuasalamuni. Uston Nawawi converted the penalty.

Another Brazilian, Antonio Claudio, hit the winner in the 33rd minute, following a scrimmage in Persebaya's penalty box.

Persebaya coach Rudy Keltjes hinted at his resignation after the defeat.

"It's finally over. I'm tired of the competition," he said.

When asked whether he would quit the job, former national team captain Rudy said that his duty was to manage the team only for one season.

"Even if I were tied to a five-year contract, I would fire myself. We had simply been looking to reach Senayan."

PSM and PSMS were tied at 2-2 even after 30 minutes of extra time in the nerve-wracking match.

Both teams looked unable to cope with the tension during the penalty shoot-out as only half of the 10 executioners found the net. The rest either went wide or were parried by goalkeepers.

The tiebreaker also made it clear that foreign signings remain a class apart from domestic players. Three of the penalties converted came from foreign boots.

In Makassar, thousands of PSM supporters flocked to the streets to celebrate their team's win.