Persik stumbles to 2-1 loss in Asian Champions League

Persik stumbles to 2-1 loss in Asian Champions League

Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Kediri, East Java

Indonesian champion Persik Kediri put up a tough fight against
South Korean champion and heavily favored Seongnam Ilhwa Chunwa
before losing 2-1 in their first-leg match of the Asian Champions
League here on Wednesday.

Seongnam's goals were delivered by Kim Do-hoon within a minute
of each other in the first half, while Persik stole back a goal
late in the second half through Chilean Juan Carlos Tapia.

Persik entertained its Korean counterpart, the winner of the
K-League in 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002 and 2003, against the
backdrop of its poor performance in the Indonesian League, where
it has lost all five of its matches to find itself at the bottom
of the 18-club standings after winning the league in 2003.

However, the hosts looked a different side against Seongnam
until the 29th minute, when Kim Do-hoon got on the end of a pass
from Brazilian Castillo Vallejo Harry and fired a low shot past
the slow-reacting Wahyudi, to the dismay of the 15,000 supporters
in the 20,000-capacity Brawijaya Stadium.

A minute later, Kim, last year's K-League top
scorer with 28 goals, volleyed home a pass from leftwing
midfielder Back Young-chul.

Leading by two goals, the Korean club opted for a game of ball
control, shrugging off the possible effects of the scorching sun.

However, national midfielder Wawan Widiantoro showed hints of
his superb individual skills, producing several dangerous passes,
only to see them squandered by Nigerian striker Bamidele Frank
Bob Manuel, who most of the time found himself without any help
in front of Kim Hae-woon's goal.

The Indonesian side looked likely to concede more goals when
Wahyudi had to be stretchered off the pitch in the 57th minute
following a collision with Seongnam's Back.

But substitute keeper Ngadiono proved a reliable net keeper,
turning away several attempts, including a powerful long-range
shot from Seongnam defender Lee Ki-hyung.

Juan Carlos, the only player to receive a yellow card during
the match from referee Saleem Ali of Maldives, scored a
consolation goal for Persik in second-half injury time, giving
the fans something to cheer about as they left the stadium.

Despite the defeat, the Persik camp looked relieved at having
managed to avoid the big defeat many were predicting.

"Many predicted we would lose 3-0 or 4-0, but look, we manage
to score a goal," said Persik manager Iwan Budianto.

While he was disappointed with the defeat, Iwan said
Wednesday's match should give the squad a morale boost for league
competition.

"The opponent has players with individual skills even better
than our national squad," Iwan said.

Persik coach Jaya Hartono said his team finally played its
best the Koreans.

"If we are consistent like we were today ... we will be able
to excel against the league clubs," Jaya said.

Seongnam head coach Cha Kyung-bok, who had admitted to having
no knowledge about the Persik squad, offered his compliments to
the hosts, saying that Persik was a good team with fine teamwork.

"We were the favorites, but Persik showed a good game and
made us play our best in this hot weather," said Cha, who was
named last year's top coach by the Asian Football Confederation.

But Cha refused to talk about advancing to the next round,
saying they still had to play another 90-minute match at home.

Lineups

Persik: Wahyudi (Gk)/Ngadiono, Juan Carlos
Tapia, Siswantoro, Joko Kuspito, Wawan Widiantoro,
Harianto, Berta Yuwana/Ekene Ikenwa, Suswanto, Khusnul
Yuli, Musikan/Johan Prasetyo, Bamidele Frank Bob
Manuel.

Seongnam: Kim Hae Woon (Gk), Jasenko Sabitovic, Lee
Ki-hyung, Seo Hyuk-su, Shin Tae-yong/Shin Dong-keun, Oh Seung-
bum, Kim Do-hoon, Castillo Vallejo Harry, Back Young-chul/Cheon
Kwang-jin, Lee Young-jin, Ricardo Irineu/Lee Seoung-woon.

Results of Asian Champions League soccer matches played on
Wednesday:

Zob Ahan (Iri) 1 Pakhtakor (Uzb) 0

BEC Tero (Tha) 4 Shanghai Shenhua (Chn) 1

Chonbuk Motors (Kor) 1 Jubilo Iwata (Jpn) 2

Hoang Anh Gia Lai (Vie) 5 PSM Makassar (Ina) 1

Persik Kediri (Ina) 1 Seongnam Ilhwa (Kor) 2