Petrokimia wins soccer club title as Frenchman scores golden goal
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Petrokimia Putra of Gresik in East Java capitalized on the rain to beat a feisty Persita Tangerang team with a golden goal from substitute Yao Eloi of France to win the Indonesian soccer league final 2-1 for the first time on Sunday.
Both teams played the final under a heavy downpour for most of the second half. The referee stopped the match 10 minutes before the final whistle due to the huge puddles on the field in Bung Karno Stadium, turning one of the world's venues largest stadiums into a giant pond.
Play resumed after 15 minutes to allow the grounds crew to drain the water-logged field.
Petrokimia was left trailing for almost all of regular time after Persita's striker Ilham Jayakusuma struck a goal as the match was just one minute old. The goal earned Ilham the Golden Boot award, having scored 26 goals throughout the league.
Patience and resilience paid off for the East Javanese side, which saw a hatful of opportunities slip through their toes, but in the 73rd minute, foreign signing Samuel Chelbi latched on to a free-kick to beat a stranded Persita goalkeeper Achmad Kurniawan.
Eloi scored the winner after a scrum inside Persita's penalty box just three minutes after Moldovan coach Sergei Dubrovin brought him in during the extra time. Sasi Kirono volleyed a long feed to Eloi, who, despite close marking from two Persita defenders, tapped it toward the goal with his right foot.
Persita goalkeeper Mukti Ali Raja tried to secure the ball, but it bounced off his hands, and Eloi came just in time to slam home the rebound.
"It's one of my career best goals," Eloi, who is in his first year with the club which is financed by the country's largest cement producer PT Semen Gresik, told Antara.
The victory awarded Petrokimia the winner's Rp 100 million check and a place in the Asian Champions League. Persita, aiming to cap its six-year appearance in the premier league with a championship title, had to be content with the Rp 75 million prize money and a place in the Asia Cup Winners Cup.
It was also sweet revenge for Petrokimia, which lost 1-0 to Persita in the final eight round-robin match almost two months ago.
Petrokimia team manager Imam Supardi said each of his players had secured Rp 10 million for reaching the final. The cash bonus, he said, could increase after the victory.
While Persita players consoled each other, Petrokimia celebrated with their supporters who invaded the pitch. One of the winning team's fans held aloft a giant replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy as tears of joy rolled down cheeks.
Persita official Tasdik Diana said he accepted the defeat, but he questioned how the water could inundate such a huge stadium as the Senayan sports complex.
He was disappointed with the sports complex management for failing to anticipate the heavy downpour.
"There is something wrong with the drainage system at the stadium. The venue hosted a get together to watch the World Cup final last week, in which thousands of people assembled on the field," Tasdik said.