Thursday, January 23, 2014
Persib Set Up Arema date
It was certainly a day of high drama in the Inter Island Cup in Solo yesterday with Persib,Mitra Kukar and Persiram all in with a chance of making the final and playing Arema on Saturday.
The day started poorly for Mitra Kukar, losing 1-0 against Persiram thanks to Semot's last minute winner.
That made the maths simple. The Papuans had five points and were in pole position. Persib, having drawn their opening two games knew they had to defeat Persik to have any chance of setting up a date with Arema in Sidorajo.
It start well for the Bandung team. Two goals in four minutes from Dimas and Faris gave Persik a shock lead and even though Konate pulled a goal back from the penalty spot just before half time, as things stood, it was Persiram who would be playing Arema at the weekend.
Ferdinand Sinaga equalised for Persib eight minutes into the second half and then M Ridwan won the game in the 89th minute to set up a final between the two teams who had the best average crowds last season.
Arema have already won the Trofeo Persija and the East Java Governor's Cup so have their eyes on a hat trick while Persib haven't won a trophy for so long most people can't remember when it was.
After Sriwijaya, twice, and Persipura won the first three editions of the IIC, 2014 will see not just a new name on the trophy but the first time any team from Java has reached the final.
For the record, IIC final appearances - Sriwijaya 2, Persisam 2, Persipura 1, Persiwa 1.
It's gonna be interesting to see what kind of crowd turns up on Saturday. It's obviously a short trip up the highway for Arema fans to a town just outside Surabaya but how many Persib fans will travel? With it being a weekend game there is a good chance a few will travel down but there is a bit of tension between Arema and Persib fans, based on the enemy's friend is mine enemy.
Anyway, it promises to be a fascinating climax to what has been an exciting competition and in true jakarta Casual style I won't be there!
The day started poorly for Mitra Kukar, losing 1-0 against Persiram thanks to Semot's last minute winner.
That made the maths simple. The Papuans had five points and were in pole position. Persib, having drawn their opening two games knew they had to defeat Persik to have any chance of setting up a date with Arema in Sidorajo.
It start well for the Bandung team. Two goals in four minutes from Dimas and Faris gave Persik a shock lead and even though Konate pulled a goal back from the penalty spot just before half time, as things stood, it was Persiram who would be playing Arema at the weekend.
Ferdinand Sinaga equalised for Persib eight minutes into the second half and then M Ridwan won the game in the 89th minute to set up a final between the two teams who had the best average crowds last season.
Arema have already won the Trofeo Persija and the East Java Governor's Cup so have their eyes on a hat trick while Persib haven't won a trophy for so long most people can't remember when it was.
After Sriwijaya, twice, and Persipura won the first three editions of the IIC, 2014 will see not just a new name on the trophy but the first time any team from Java has reached the final.
For the record, IIC final appearances - Sriwijaya 2, Persisam 2, Persipura 1, Persiwa 1.
It's gonna be interesting to see what kind of crowd turns up on Saturday. It's obviously a short trip up the highway for Arema fans to a town just outside Surabaya but how many Persib fans will travel? With it being a weekend game there is a good chance a few will travel down but there is a bit of tension between Arema and Persib fans, based on the enemy's friend is mine enemy.
Anyway, it promises to be a fascinating climax to what has been an exciting competition and in true jakarta Casual style I won't be there!
Labels: Indonesia, Inter Island Cup, M Ridwan, Manahan Stadium, Mitra Kukar, Persib, Persik, Persiram, Solo
# posted by Me @ 8:27 AM 
