Petrokimia Putra beats Samart 2-0 in opening of ASEAN Club C'ship
Petrokimia Putra beats Samart 2-0 in opening of ASEAN Club C'ship
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
East Java-based Petrokimia Putra (Petro) of Gresik was off to a
winning start in the opening matches of the inaugural LG Cup --
the ASEAN Club Championship -- with a 2-0 victory over Samart
United from Cambodia.
The win ensured the host a top place in the quarterfinals from
the two-team Group A, following the withdrawal of Finance and
Revenue FC from Myanmar days before the start of the tournament
due to political instability in its country.
Despite the loss, Samart still qualifies for the
quarterfinals, to face the leader of Group B, whose matches are
also being staged in Gresik.
The LG Cup, a soccer tournament among the champions in their
respective countries in Southeast Asia, features 11 countries in
its inaugural season with Indian East Bengal accepting an
invitation to join.
As the host Indonesia is represented by 2002 champion Petro
and runner-up Persita Tangerang, which plays at the Bung Karno
Stadium in Jakarta.
The Jakarta matches, in Group C and D, will begin Monday.
In the second tie of the Gresik fixtures later in the evening,
Perak FC of Malaysia beat Singapore Armed Force FC (SAFF) 2-0 to
lead Group B.
Indra Putra opened the scoring for the Malaysian champions in
the 19th minute and Liberian Frank Seator scored the other goal
in injury time. The other team in Group B is DPMM FC of Brunei
Darussalam.
The Petro-Samart game was watched by 10,000 spectators, mostly
fanatic home supporters, Antara reported.
Petro played aggressively from the start, but it was after
five minutes into the second half that the host was rewarded for
its efforts, Brazilian Rivaldo Costa capitalizing on a skirmish
in Samart's goal mouth.
Brazilian Danilo Fernando doubled Petro's lead with his 67th
minute goal when he had his cross deflected by Samart's Leng
Saknida past his own goal.
Samart also had its own share of ball possession and attack,
orchestrated by Cambodian international veteran forward Hok
Sochetra. He often sprung off-side traps, creating frights for
the home fans.
After the game, Petro's coach, Belarusian Alexander Sikov,
expressed his satisfaction, saying that his team's performance
was the best all season.
In the ongoing Indonesian League, Petro does not look the side
which won the 2002 championship, currently struggling in the
relegation zone.
It grimly holds on to 15th in the 20-team premier league of
Indonesia, with 34 points from 28 games. The lowest-ranked six
teams will be relegated to the first division next year.