PSM beats Persita to keep lead in RI league

PSM beats Persita to keep lead in RI league

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar, South Sulawesi

PSM of Makassar maintained the lead in the Indonesian soccer
league after scraping to a 1-0 victory over 10-man Persita of
Tangerang at Mattoangin Stadium here on Wednesday.

Ortisan Salossa scored the only goal in the game in the 84th
minute to ensure the team remained on top with 31 points.
Persebaya was close in second place, only a point behind, but the
leader has played one game less.

Persebaya chalked up a controversial 1-0 win over Persib in
Surabaya in the match in which Kurniawan Dwi Julianto seemed to
dive to earn a penalty kick, which was then successfully executed
by Brazilian Danilo Fernando.

The match, which was aired live on ANTV, was marred by referee
Jimmy Napitupulu's refusal to continue officiating, saying that
he had been hit on the head by some home fans when he was about
to start the second half.

"I can't go on for the second half. My head was hit by someone
when I rushed out of the changing room," Napitupulu said when he
filed a complaint with the match supervisor, as reported by
Antara.

Napitupulu's boycott caused a 15-minute delay before it was
decided he would be replaced by Tavip Dwi Handaya.

Persija was also the 1-0 winner away over Deltras Sidoarjo to
stay in third place with 28 points. However, the Jakarta-based
team still has a game in hand compared with the leader.

In Makassar, in front of 20,000 fans, PSM had to work hard in
the game against Persita.

The hosts attacked from the start but were unable to find the
net under the guard of A. Kurniawan.

Even when the visitors were reduced to 10 men toward the end
of the first half, none of the rash of scoring chances was
converted to a goal.

Persita had N. Dollar sent off by referee Yesayas Leihatu for
two bookable offenses.

PSM did not relax the offensive. Spearheaded by Christian
Gonzales, they almost fully took control of the game, with
Persita switching to defensive play.

The raucous support finally found relief when Salossa sealed
the winner six minutes from the end.

After taking a pass at the defending area, Salossa drove his
way past three defenders before firing home at the left corner of
the goal, with the keeper gasping.

While ruing the missed chance of winning by a larger margin,
PSM manager Kadir Halid praised a solid defense by Persita, which
is under the guidance of former PSM coach Muhammad Basri.

"Our players were tempted to rush in the game. That caused
them to lose accuracy when they approached the goalpost. They
squandered many chances. At the other end, the Persita goalkeeper
also played well," he said.

Basri admitted PSM had a better crop of players than his own.
He looked pleased that his team conceded only one goal, given
that they played with 10 men away in Makassar.

In Surabaya, the referee awarded Persebaya a penalty kick
after Kurniawan was dubiously adjudged of having been tripped by
a Persib defender.

The judgment drew a protest from Persib players but the stand-
in referee persisted in his decision.

Persela and PKT Bontang romped home to 4-0 and 4-1 victories
over Persikota and Pelita KS respectively. In the other match,
Persijatim was held to a goal-less draw by PSIS Semarang.

Wednesday's results:

Persebaya - Persib 1-0
Persela - Persikota 4-0
Deltras - Persija 0-1
PKT Bontang - Pelita KS 4-1
Persijatim - PSIS Semarang 0-0
PSM - Persita 1-0