[Brian Swartz]

12.6 @ Persipon(5-0-3, 4th) A win today will keep us in the top three, a loss and we will have a ton of ground to make up. We lost one and drew one with Persipon last year, and they've won five of six after losing their first two of the year.

Yarangga is suspended and Adie still hurt, but we have Kombo back which will definitely help our defense. Probably not an accident that we gave up five goals in the two games he missed. Meanwhile, they are missing two players as well. Persipon are even-money favorites, with the pundits saying Yarangga's absence makes them favorites.

Hard to argue with that, we'll start conservatively. Both teams favor a direct style.

1' -- A quick shot from outside the area by Herlan, it's wide.

4' -- We get it ahead on the counter, but they converge on Bayhaqi and deflect his shot. Impressive recovery by their defense. We recycle and Yogi gets a crack, high and wide right.

6' -- Another try by Yogi but he couldn't get enough on it and it's saved.

12' -- Best look of the match so far, Ewangin into the area and blasts one that's blocked away. They've had more possession in the early going, but we've done more with ours. I'll stand pat.

15' -- Oh. my. goodness. Yogi. Bayhaqi. Saputra. All alone at the corner of the box. Misses the cross angle shot. We have to score those. We just have to.

20' -- Kombo misses an assignment and an angled chip goes just high.

22' -- Decent look for Ewangin from 17, blocked away. Shots are 8-1, 3-0 on target. Scoreboard doesn't care.

24' -- We finally convert on the weirdest one. Saputra launches one in the general direction of Yogi, and the race is on between him and Kurnia. Yogi gets their first, Kurnia almost stops, and he's in alone ... half-volley cross angle is well placed, and it's a 1-0 lead on the road!

32' -- We've taken good control of the possession battle and are playing well in midfield, I switch to a more balanced mentality.

37' -- Yogi tries to float one over the keeper and under the bar from almost 30. He was close too, it just bounced off the top.

41' -- A bad clearance, and smart positioning by Patay and Muda is required to block a shot out for a corner.

43' -- Ewangin up the middle for a wide open Yogi, but it takes too long to develop and Lukman comes out to cut down the angle. He blocks the shot and they recover it.


HT -- We're up 1-0 and in control of the match, halfway to what would be a very big win. Herlan is not looking good but we have no other reasonable option. Kombo as well, not totally unexpected in his first match back from injury, so Kasipmabin comes on and we're back to a more conservative countering approach.

46' -- Crucial tackle by Patay right away, Yasir was in the area and had a half-step on him. They are pushing harder to try and even it up, so far getting little for it but we aren't creating much either.

57' -- A double corner, nothing comes of it. We come back down, Saputra to Ewangin to Yogi, not a bad save by Kurwan but he should have scored that. Should have two goals, maybe three today with all his chances.

61' -- Weak freekick by Bayhaqi.

63' -- Bayhaqi to Yogi for a first-time shot, good play but lots of traffic and it's blocked out.

65' -- Ansori gets a header off a freekick, it's a long one and he hits it almost parallel. Thank you very much.

69' -- Saw it. Still don't believe it. Ansori gets behind Muda who misjudges the ball, waits WAAAAYYYY too long, shot is blocked by Ferminus ... squirts to Saprianto but Patay takes it away ... cleared by Saragih. Should have been a goal. If Ansori wasn't standing there taking pictures for like two seconds, it probably would have been.

72' -- Sutanto in for Yogi.

75' -- Herlan gets a blast from 16 off a corner, it's into a crowd and back out again.

80' -- Ewangin to Sutanto up the middle, hits one from the edge and not enough on it, saved by Lukwan.

81' -- How thoroughly disgusting. Mistake by Saragih leaves Mardianto open at the corner of the box on a cross, and Ferminus is out of position when the ball arrives. Easy goal, tied at 1-1, once again we blow a lead.

83' -- Sutanto for Ewangin, tough angle shot and he can't straighten it out.

90' -- A long header is easily grabbed by Ferminus.

FT -- Draw, 1-1. We set a record under my coaching with 24 shots. Probably should have been a 3-2 win or something, and ends 1-1. Meanwhile, Persebangga goes up 3-0 on Persibom ... and they come back for a draw there. Oh, what could have been today.

All of a sudden we who could do no wrong the first month and a half are winless in our last three.