[Brian Swartz]

12.21 @ Persemalra(8-1-1, 1st). Our last match of the calendar year, and it's against the clear best team in Group D. Persemalra are 1-2 favorites, and for good reason: they have won every home match they have played, and the majority of their road contests as well, scoring a group-high 21 goals on the year. For our part, we have drawn our last four on the road: adding a fifth to that streak would be as much as I can hope for here. With Yarangga suspended for his third yellow card, we lose a key part of our defense and will once again have only one sub available, though our hosts to have significant injury issues of their own. They play a 3-5-2, which in theory could leave them vulnerable to our counterattacks ...

1' -- It took us a whole 15 seconds to get a clear shot for Ewangin, about 25 yards out and he tried to float one into the far corner but it was a little high. Good attempt though. A sharp-angle shot from Uropmabin about 30 seconds later was high as well, but I'm still encouraged.

7' -- We've totally controlled the opening minutes, and Patrick Adie sends a freekick from about 30 yards high and wide.

9' -- Good grief. They get a freekick from just left of the area, Ningmabingets to it ... to Adie who can't control it, and Fuad puts it inside the left post from the middle of the area, his first goal of the year and we're behind the 8-ball right away. Excellent reaction shot off the bounce, but we gave them that one. 0-1

16' -- Kuswanto gets a step on Sutiono, but he stays close enough to block it out for a corner. Plays like that are why we'll miss him next year.

23' -- Nice pass from Uropmabin up the middle to Yogi, similar to the way he scored in our last match but he didn't get as much on this attempt and it was tipped away. Our attacking opportunities have dried up a lot, their midfield is breaking a lot of things up and making it difficult and there's more or less constant pressure on our end. It's easy to see why Persemalra is dominating the group, but we still only need one big play to get back in this match. A minute later, Yogi strolled in for an angled shot and put a weak effort well wide to the left. Disappointing effort there.

26' -- Adie with a cross to Ewangin right on the doorstep, but it's too high and he can't get to it.

34' -- Injury for Patay but it looks like he'll be able to continue. We've done much better the last 10 minutes or so in competing for possession.

39' -- Turnover just outside their area, Ewangin to Yogi, angled blast ... off the crossbar! He almost tied this match right there ...

41' -- And now we are going to pay for the fact that he didn't. Kuswanto outjumps Sutiono for a header, expertly controls it and moves in to put a shot in the upper left corner. That's the best individual play I've seen a forward in this league make -- it's 2-0 now and it's not at all clear that we can do anything about it. We had our best defender in position right with him and it didn't matter.

46' -- A long one from Ewangin is high, but not by much.

HT -- We're down 2-0 and headed for near-certain defeat, but the only real difference so far is they've converted their chances and we haven't done so with ours. We've had an 8-5 edge in shots and a few quality chances, just only put one of them on-target. Possession is at a respectable 47% and they've only been somewhat superior in the little things -- I'm not at all unhappy with how we've played despite the score. Their first goal was somewhat of a fluke which happens both ways as we know from our last match, and we should have a goal by now with the opportunities we've had.

I don't make any changes, and remind the guys they were expected to lose today anyway, just go out and finish it well, play freely.


52' -- Sutiono gets caught too far up field and loses contact with Kuswanto and they find him with a nice passing play, easy score as once again Setia had no chance. Stick a fork in us, it's 3-0 and we're done.

56' -- Ningmabin to Ewangin for a close angled shot, a defender got back just in time to deflect it sky-high. The corner goes to Urwan and he blasts it basically the opposite direction of the goal and well into the stands. I have no clue what he was trying to do there, but it was a really stupid idea.

58' -- Adie's not looking himself after a midfield challenge, and there's no point in keeping him out there today. Sutanto comes on.

61' -- Ewangin crosses one in, Uropmabin gets it and it's not hard, but well-placed, bouncing in the right side! 3-1 now, and that should make the guys feel a little better about getting our butts handed to us.

67' -- Another header for Uropmabin, but it was deflected first and he couldn't get his timing back in time, putting it well wide.

73' -- With our defense focused on their forwards up the gut, Sada gets behind us out wide and perfectly places a soft shot just inside the left post. These guys just don't miss -- every decent opportunity they've had has been a goal. 4-1.

79' -- Really strange play here, one of the weirdest sequences of our season. Sutanto had space into the area on the right, then stood there and waited till he was triple-teamed. He got to an open Uropmabin in front 10 yards away, who turned and blasted it off the right post. Blown opportunity, right?! Retop couldn't control the ricochet, and Yogi got there first, deftly putting it in the open left side of the net. 4-2!!

83' -- What the ... Another Ewangin cross(apparently he's the decoy today) finds Yogi in front, inside box but at too sharp of an angle and it's bounced off the keeper. He was actually too close on that one, and it almost ricocheted back in but not quite.

FT -- We lose it 4-2, but I can't fault them for their effort. We outshot them 18-8 and could well have been right with them if they'd hadn't been as fantastic in their accuracy(or if we'd been better). I told the team I was pleased with the effort and they didn't react well at all -- apparently they don't think that's good enough.

Uropmabin's goal and all-around good play made him our best today, followed by Fabian Yogi though his finishing was poor except for the one goal he did score. Roni Setia was third, which might surprise with four conceded but none of them were on him, they were just great shots.

The word on Adie is that he has a sprained wrist and will miss two weeks. Could have been worse. We have no matches the rest of the year so he won't have to miss that much time, but we just can't seem to keep him healthy. I gush praise about Kuswanto in the press conference, for good reason, but I'm a little confused when he states the next day that 'it's a dream to receive praise from such an amazing head coach'.

Uhm thanks, but I'm actually a virtually unknown head coach with a club exactly where they were predicted to be.