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Big Day for the Big Teams As the season rolls on, one by one big teams like PSM Makassar, Persebaya Surabaya, and Persija Jakarta are starting to show why the were the pre-season favorites. After a string of bad results from their away tour in Eastern Indonesia, Persebaya Surabaya started home matches on a good note. A sole goal from Persebaya's midfielder Uston Nawawi in the 57th minute silenced visitors and last-year runners-up Pupuk Kaltim (PKT) Bontang, East Kalimantan, 1-0 in the Eastern Conference match of the 2001 Bank Mandiri Indonesian Football League at the 10 November Stadium in Surabaya on Sunday (2/18). The match was intense and attractive. Both teams had high-quality players, and though PKT featured only local players in the last few seasons, they showed why they've always been among the top teams in the nation. Under the direction of Moldovan head coach Sergei Dubrovin, PLT played with high discipline in every area. But at the end of the day, it was midfield general Uston Nawawi who proved to everyone why he's so highly-rated. Uston scored the only goal with a left kick from outside the penalty box which PKT goalkeeper Sumardi failed to catch. "Persebaya deserved to win, they played really well. Especially since Uston played in the second half. But I'm satisfied because my players also performed well," said PKT coach Sergei Dubrovin of Moldova as quoted by Antara news agency. Dubrovin said in general both teams performed equally well in the first half but entering the second half his players failed to place any pressure on their opponents. Persebaya players gained their motivation with the entrance of Uston, also a national team regular, who supplied a number of good passes to his teammate strikers. "Uston is a good player. He has high technical skills and he's very good at arranging his team's attacks," Dobrovin added. Persebaya had many gilded chances in the first half, but poor finishing from out-of-form Brazilian striker Jacksen F. Tiago made all the chances went waste. Persebaya coach Rudy W. Keltjes said his players performed under pressure in the first half, which reduced their number of good chances. He said, "Our players were so rushed in the first half and failed to take the opportunity to score a goal. But in the second half, they managed to control the match and played more aggressively." Referee Suprihatin issued two yellow cards to Yudi Kuncahyo and Ridwansyah of PKT. Across the province, hosts Petrokimia Putra defeated Putra Samarinda with a fine score of 1-0. Under the direction of new head coach Sanusi Rachman, Petrokimia has been showing impressive performances in the last few matches, including today. Mercurial striker Zainal Ichwan, who spent all the matches prior to this starting on the bench, was put in the starting line-up and indeed it was he who scored the winning goal for the home team on the 30th minute. Pelita Solo scored 2-0 to beat Persma Manado at the Manahan Stadium in Solo, Central Java. The first goal was scored by Seto Nurdiyantoro on the 35th minute through a free-kick just outside the penalty box. The second goal was scored by newly-acquired Asep Dayat in the 58th minute. From Jepara, also in Central Java, the "Black Diamonds" Persipura Jayapura had to admit a 0-1 defeat to hosts Persijap Jepara. Adi Prahugroho headed in the only goal in the match on the twelfth minute, after receiving a nice free-kick pass from Haryanto. Still in Central Java, defending champions PSM Makassar won 1-0 over hosts PSS Sleman and pushed the home team into the relegation zone. The match was tough and PSM had a very hard time trying to break Sleman's defense. It was only on the 89th minute when prolific striker Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto shot a screamer but unfortunate for him, the ball was just inches wide and bounced off the bar. Fortunate for his team, however, as the ball fell to the head of another PSM's player, Rahman Usman, and was headed in without a problem. After the match, PSM's technical director Henk Wullems of Holland said, "We'd never guess PSS Sleman could play this well. Honestly, we were almost frustrated, and not until the last minute when Rahman Usman scored the winning goal could we take a deep breath." Moving on to the Western Conference, hosts Persija Jakarta clobbered Persikab Kabupaten Bandung with a whopping score of 5-0. The match was even in the first half, and it looked like Persikab would be able to match the might of Persija after all. Things changed as the second half started, however. Persija's Brazilian playmaker Luciano Leandro scored the opening goal on the 52nd minute, followed by a hat-trick by the rising striker Budi Sudarsono on the 56th, 70th, 85th minutes, and scored the other one by Ebandha Timothe on the 80th minute. With this hat-trick, Budi Sudarsono kept his place as the current top scorer of the league with nine goals. The closest ones to him had only collected six goals so far. This empathic win also lifted up the image and reputation of Sofyan Hadi, a caretaker head coach for Persija after Andi Lala was "rested." Under his command, Persija had won two of the last matches, including an important 1-0 away win against mortal enemies Persib Bandung a few days before. PSMS Medan of North Sumatra upset host PSBL Bandar Lampung 1-0 at the Pahoman Bandar Stadium. With very poor field conditions due to heavy downpours, striker Colly Misrun of PSMS disappointed nearly 7,500 PSBL supporters by kicking the sole goal of the match in the 53rd minute. PSBL had the chance to equal the score but the penalty kick executed by Syawaluddin in the 56th minute was tipped off by PSMS goalkeeper Sahari Gultom. PSBL had five chances in the second half but they all hit the goal post. PSMS coach Suimin Diharja said PSBL players performed outstandingly. He said, "They just lacked luck." In Padang, West Sumatra, hosts Semen Padang hoisted current leader of Western Conference Persita Tangerang 2-1. Semen Padang, struggling at the bottom of the table, surprisingly controlled the match and took the attacking initiative. This resulted in their first goal on the 10th minute after a left-footed kick by Suwarno. Semen Padang kept pounding on Persita's defense, and there were at least four shots-on-goal by Semen Padang. But it was a counter-attack four minutes before half-time that evened the score for Persita, after a goal by striker Anthony Jomah Ballah. The second half was more even, with both teams had their share of chances. But it was Semen Padang's Purwanto who seized the day with his goal on the 77th minute, and the score held until the end of the match. There were two other matches today, and they both ended for the victory of the home teams. Minnows PSDS Deli Serdang defeated Persib Bandung 2-0 with goals from Juan Rubio (53') and Imam Faisal (89'). Meanwhile, last-year semifinalists Persikota Kab. Tangerang were beginning to rise from their sluggish start and totally outclassed guests Persiraja Banda Aceh with a score 6-0. I Komang Mariawan and Francis Yonga got two each, while Andrian Mardiansyah and Saphou Lassy completed the vicotrious game.
from: The Jakarta Post and various sources
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