Petrokimia survives dramatic semifinal

Petrokimia Gresik dashed pre-tournament favorite Semen Padang's hopes of winning the soccer league title in a dramatic penalty shoot-out that decided their semifinal match on Thursday.

Both teams were tied at 1-1 after the full 30 minutes of extra time.

Goalkeeper Mukti Ali Raja was the toast of the match for making three acrobatic saves during the shoot-out won by the East Javanese side 3-2. Petrokimia will meet Persita Tangerang on Sunday at Jakarta's Bung Karno Stadium, with both teams making their first appearance at the final.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper showed maturity beyond his age as he used both his feet and fists to block attempts by Elie Aiboy, Syafril MM and Kusdiyanto in the deciding penalty shoot-out.

Kusdiyanto's saved penalty shot was a disappointing finish on Thursday because he had given Semen Padang the upperhand with his opening goal after 34 minutes. He smacked home a rebound after Mukti failed to hold off a scoring attempt by Aboy.

Petrokimia was left waiting for almost half an hour for an equalizer. Jainal Ichwan sped past two Semen Padang defenders for a cross from the right flank before beating the last man standing, Zulkarnaen Zakaria.

The 100,000-seat Bung Karno Stadium looked empty as there were only around 20,000 spectators.

Referee Bambang Pamilih booked five players, three from Semen Padang, during the relatively incident-free match.

Petrokimia coach Sergei Dubrovin said divine intervention had helped his squad reach the final.

"My players were already burned out after extra time, but Lady Luck smiled on us," Dubrovin said, as quoted by Antara after the match.

He admitted Semen Padang was a better side and dominated possession of the ball during the marathon match.

Man of the Match Mukti shared the view of his coach, saying he had said a prayer before the penalty shoot-out to build up his confidence.