Persijatim stuns Persikota as league resumes after poll break
Persijatim stuns Persikota as league resumes after poll break
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
After almost a month-long break due to the campaigning period
for legislative elections, the Indonesian premier soccer league
resumed on Saturday with Persijatim of Surakarta upsetting host
Persikota 1-0 at Benteng Stadium in Tangerang in the only match
on the day.
Akyar Ilyas scored the winning goal for the visitors in the
39th minute to lift his team from the relegation zone.
Persikota, meanwhile, dropped to fifth position with 19
points.
Persijatim now has 12 points, only one ahead of Persik Kediri,
last season's champions who are on the knife edge of relegation
following a string of dismal performances this season.
Persik, which held Vietnamese Binh Dinh 1-1 in its away game
in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday, can still jump over
Persijatim if it defeats host Persib Bandung, currently ninth on
the table, on Sunday.
On Saturday, Akyar emerged the hero for Persijatim, the club
formerly based in Jakarta.
After being served with a pass from Eka Ramdani, Akyar took a
sweeping dribble through the left wing. Some of the opposing
defenders tried to block his way but he somehow managed to keep
the balance to fire the ball low at the right corner of national
goalkeeper Jendri Pitoy's post.
The visitors went down to 10 men in front of some 5,000 home
fans after Ayock Berty was expelled in the 72nd minute for a foul
on Isnan Ali. But they managed to cling onto victory.
Saturday's defeat was the third in a row for Persikota. It
suffered a 2-0 loss from PSIS Semarang and 1-0 defeat from PSS
Sleman in two previous matches.
Persikota coach Rachmad Darmawan said his players did not seem
to be in tune with the newly employed 3-5-2 formation, often
fumbling on the pitch.
"They looked good during practice sessions. I could not stop
wondering why they were so awkward in the match," he said. The
team usually played a 4-4-2 formation.
He said there would be an immediate evaluation of the team
after its string of losses.
Sunday's fixtures
Persita vs Pupuk Kaltim
Semen Padang vs Deltras
PSMS vs PSM
PSPS vs Persipura
Persija vs Persela
Pelita KS vs Persebaya
Persib vs Persik