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