PSIS Semarang beats Petrokimia to lead Group I

PSIS Semarang beats Petrokimia to lead Group I

JAKARTA (JP): PSIS Semarang went to the top of Group I with
the six points it earned crushing Petrokimia Putra Gresik 2-0 on
the fifth day of the fifth Indonesian Soccer League (Ligina)
playoffs on Saturday at the Senayan soccer stadium.

PSIS, which takes over the lead from defending champion
Persebaya, displayed solid defense and good coordination between
its midfielders and strikers to paralyze Petrokimia defenders.

In Group II, unseeded team Pupuk Kaltim played at a slow but
steady rhythm to put the brakes on highly accelerated PSM
Ujungpandang and grab a 1-0 victory.

PSIS captain Ali Sunan scored in the 15th minute of the Group
I game after clearing a pack of Petrokimia players who fell down
in front of the net.

"I'm glad that I could give my best in this match. I also have
to thank all my teammates who played in high spirits, although we
had to come here with little money," Ali said after the match.

Midfielder Imron Abdullah, who substituted Deftendi in the
53rd minute, put in another goal at the 80 minute mark with a
pass from Ali.

"I thank PSIS team members and all Semarang soccer fans. We
hope they can play better," spectator and Semarang Mayor
Soetrisno Suharto said after congratulating PSIS players.

Coach Edy Paryono said his players would play their best in
Tuesday's match against Semen Padang.

"We are not a favorite team. We'll give it our best shot in
the match against Semen Padang. We have bee watching their
performance," he said.

Petrokimia coach Sanusi Rachman gave credit to PSIS strategy
and their rapid movement which enabled the team to take control
of the match.

"We lost the ball too easily because they had good and swift
movement. They crossed the ball very quickly, which couldn't be
anticipated by our defenders," he said.

Captain Khusaeri admitted that his players lost their fighting
spirit after PSIS made its first goal.

"We couldn't concentrate after PSIS led 1-0. Besides, our
stamina was decreasing," he said.

In the first match, Pupuk Kaltim striker Ahmad Junaidi headed
from the right side of the net and scored the only goal in the
62th minute.

"This is not our first meet. We already knew each other so we
didn't set any special strategy. We tried to block PSM's
defenders, who only waited for the pass from the team's
foundation, (Ortisan) Salossa," said Gusnul Yakin, Pupuk Kaltim's
coach.

PSM coach M. Basri blamed the tight game schedule which he
said did not allow his players to recover from their last game
against Pelita Bakrie on Thursday.

"It's not the main problem, anyway. We are very disappointed
and we thought that Pupuk Kaltim could use the opportunities very
well," he said.

PSM tied with Pelita Bakrie on their first outing and earned
one point, but there is a narrow chance for them to reach the
semifinals.

Sunday's Group I match will pit Pelita Bakrie against PSMS
Medan and Persikota Tangerang will play Persebaya in the Group II
match. (ivy)

Results:
PSIS Semarang 2 Petrokimia Putra 0
Pupuk Kaltim 1 PSM Ujungpandang 0