Persik defeats Pelita

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Goals from Harianto and Ekena Ikenwa allowed defending champion Persik Kediri to move out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win over Pelita KS in the Indonesian soccer league on Tuesday.

The two goals came in the second half of the match at the Brawijaya Stadium in Malang, East Java, giving Persik an overall 10 points in the standings and moving them above Persijatim, Semen Padang and Deltras.

Semen Padang lost 2-0 to Persela Lamongan. Deltras scored its first win since the start of the league in January with a 2-0 defeat of PSPS, but the Sidoarjo club remains bottom of the table with five points.

Persijatim's game against Persija was postponed by rain.

Tuesday's league program saw seven matches, with all of the hosts capitalizing on home field advantage to cruise to victories.

Persebaya Surabaya strengthened its position in second place behind PSM with 22 points, posting a 3-0 win over Persita at the Sepuluh November Stadium in Surabaya.

Kurniawan Dwi Julianto scored two goals in the 11th and 45th minutes, and Mat Halil contributed a goal in the 55th minute, Antara reported. PSM did not play on Tuesday.

PKT Bontang also posted a 3-0 victory over PSMS at the Mulawarman Stadium. The club jumped from seventh to third place with 20 points.

In Kediri, Persik captain Harianto scored a goal after beating an offside trap to put the defending champion in front in the 70th minute. Ikenwa sealed the game with Persik's second goal, latching onto a cross from Johan Prasetyo six minutes before the end of play.

The match was a sloppy affair because of a muddy pitch from earlier rain, and both teams resorted to tough tactics. Referee Ali booked four players, Samuel Chebly, Nasuha, Michael Babouaken and Aulia Siregar, all from Pelita.

Tuesday's results PSIS 2 Persikota 0 PSS 3 Persib 2 Persik 2 Pelita KS 0 Deltras 2 PSPS 0 Persela 2 Semen Padang 0 Persebaya 3 Persita 0 PKT 3 PSMS 0