A World of Opportunity (FM2010)

[dfisher]

Persitara (1st) @ PSDS (3rd) - January 12,2020
We are evens favs for this one and won 4-0 at home earlier this season.

GK - Youwe
D - Hasan Mahdi, Nugroho, Eboule Bille, Rinaldo
CM - Leo, Kurnia
AM - Novriansyah, Bahri
ST - Varella, Suryadi

9th Minute - Kurnia shoots from 25 yards, but his shot hits the upright and bounces clear.
12th Minute - Novriansyah beats a defender on the left side allowing him to get off a low cross along the ground. Bahri is in the area and wins the ball from the defender and deposits it into the net!! 1-0
14th Minute - A PSDS cross is met by their big striker (jumping 17), but his header hits the crossbar.
25th Minute - Kurnia's corner meets the head of Eboule Bille, but it is put over the bar.

HALFTIME - Novriansyah with an 8.1; we have 64% of possession and 14 shots, but only 3 on target.

52nd Minute - Nugroho picks up a knock but can continue.
55th Minute - M. Saputra on for Nugroho.
60th Minute - Saputra gets beat on a thru ball, but the shot is wide.
63rd Minute - Bahri splits 2 defenders with a pass into the path of Novriansyah. The keeper gets to it first but can't hold onto it, and Novriansyah knows what to do! 2-0
65th Minute - Firman Hadi on for Leo.
75th Minute - Onguene on to get some run for Varella.
That's the game.

PERSITARA 2 PSDS 0
Novrinsyah with a 9.0 for man of the match; Bahri with an 8.5.

[dfisher]

Abidin resumes full training.

Persikabo (14th) @ Persitara (1st) - January 17, 2020
We are 4:7 favorites at home and won 2-0 at their place.

GK - Youwe
D - Hasan Mahdi, Nugroho, Eboule Bille, Rinaldo
CM - Leo, Kurnia
AM - Novriansyah, Bahri
ST - Varella, Suryadi

4th Minute - Varella receives the ball at midfield. Bahri runs down the middle of the pitch to draw some defenders, and Varella takes advantage by dribbling all the way to the endline to the right of the goal. He chips one over a defenders head, and Suryadi gets to it on one bounce and puts it in the net!! 1-0
9th Minute - Kurnia plays a 40-yard ball ahead of Novriansyah down the left. He pounces on it and sends a cross near post. Suryadi gets to the cross and heads it into the net for his second goal!! 2-0
18th Minute - Hasan Mahdi picks up a slight knock.
20th Minute - Varella with another great run, this time into the area to the left of the goal. He cuts back to the right and shoots, but the keeper is able to dive and get his hand to it.
25th Minute - Kurnia picks up a knock.
27th Minute - Kurnia sends a corner to the far post. Eboule Bille gets up and heads it into the net!! 3-0
45th Minute - Varella sends a cross in from the left. Bahri heads it back to Kurnia at the edge of the area, who then passes first touch ahead to Suryadi. He quickly beats the keeper near post for his second hat trick of the year!! 4-0

HALFTIME - Suryadi with a 9.5, Eboule Bille an 8.1, and Novriansyah a 7.7; what a dominating performance so far.

49th Minute - Leo receives a yellow card.
51st Minute - Eboule Bille comes up to challenge a man, and the ball gets sent behind him. The forward beats Nugroho to the ball and quickly gets off a shot that beats Youwe, but it hits the crossbar.
59th Minute - Firman Hadi on for Kurnia, and Sutrisno on for Hasan Mahdi.
63rd Minute - Varella gets tripped, resulting in a yellow.
64th Minute - Suryadi with a great pass to free Bahri for a clear cut chance, but his shot is saved by a diving keeper. The rebound goes to Hadi at the edge of the area. His shot is weak, and the keeper is able to recover in time to hold it.
68th Minute - Heri Hadi on for Novriansyah.
78th Minute - Persikabo takes a long throw. Eboule Bille wins the header and sends it toward Youwe. He goes up to grab it but drops the ball, and Persikabo quickly makes him pay. 4-1
That's the game.

PERSITARA 4 PERSIKABO 1
Suryadi's 9.5 easily wins him man of the match; Eboule Bille with an 8.9, Kurnia an 8.1; Novriansyah a 7.8, and Varella a 7.7.

Eboule Bille, Kurnia, and Suryadi were named to team of the week.

[dfisher]

Persitara (1st) @ Semen Padang (9th)
We are 5:4 favorites on the road.

GK - Youwe
D - Hasan Mahdi, Nugroho, Eboule Bille, Rinaldo
CM - Abidin, Kurnia
AM - Novriansyah, Bahri
ST - Varella, Suryadi

14th Minute - Novriansyah takes a free kick from 35 yards. He beats the keeper, but the ball hits the bar.
16th Minute - Novriansyah slips a ball into the area to Varella from the left. He is able to set himself and shoot, but it is weak and parried by the keeper.
34th Minute - Semen Padang tries a clearance from their own endline, but Bahri reads the pass and intercepts. He snaps off a cross to Varella just behind the penalty spot, and he gets up and heads it home!! 1-0
36th Minute - Bahri gets the ball in his own end and takes it up the right all the way down to penalty area. He flips it up to Suryadi, who strikes from an angle, but the keeper pushes it behind.
39th Minute - Hasan Mahdi gets beat on a thru ball. The striker beats Youwe near post to tie it up. 1-1

HALFTIME - Nugroho and Suryadi each with a 5.9.

47th Minute - Novriansyah gets held, drawing a yellow.
60th Minute - Leo on for Abidin and Onguene on for Suryadi.
70th Minute - Kurnia picks up a knock.
72nd Minute - Leo chips one ahead to Onuene. He outmuscles a defender for the ball in the area, but he can't get much on the shot, sending it harmlessly over.
73rd Minute - Firman Hadi on for Kurnia.
74th Minute - Bahri splits the defense with a great ball ahead of Varella. He gets in the area with time to set himself but is denied by the keeper.
75th Minute - Nugroho takes the ensuing corner and puts it to the feet of Varella. He shoots in one motion, but the keeper fully lays out to save again.
80th Minute - Rinaldo springs Varella with a long ball. He takes possession at midfield behind the defense and takes it all the way to the edge of the area. He shoots from there and beats the keeper for his second goal!! 2-1
92nd Minute - Bahri picks up a yellow.
95th Minute - A thru ball slips behind Eboule Bille, but the shot is wide.
That's the game.

PERSITARA 2 SEMEN PADANG 1
Varella's 9.0 earns him man of the match. Rinaldo gets a 7.7.

[dfisher]

Chiffone resumes full training, giving us a clean bill of health.

I get an offer from a team in the Uruguay First Division to loan Chiffone until the end of the year. They offer me $60k, with the opportunity to make it permanent for $400k. I reject for now.

PSPS (7th) @ Persitara (1st) - January 29, 2020
We are 4:6 favorites at home; we won 5-1 at their place earlier in the year.

GK - Youwe
D - Sutrisno, Nugroho, Eboule Bille, Rinaldo
CM - Leo, Kurnia
AM - Novriansyah, Bahri
ST - Varella, Suryadi

3rd Minute - Kurnia with a long pass along the ground to Varella. He makes some room for himself and fires the ball off the crossbar.
6th Minute - Bahri takes the ball past a defender along the right sideline. He crosses near post where Suryadi is waiting. Suryadi heads it backwards to an open Leo, who strikes it from 25 yards on the half volley into the net!!!1-0
17th Minute - Novriansyah lobs one ahead of Suryadi down the left. He chips one in front of the net, and Bahri flashes across the goalmouth to get his head to it, but the keeper is able to push it behind.

HALFTIME - Neither team got a shot on target the rest of the half. Leo with a 7.4 to lead the team.

48th Minute - Leo hits the crossbar from 30 yards.
52nd Minute - Kurnia springs Varella with a thru ball, but he takes to long to get his shot off. The shot is blocked and goes behind for a corner.
67th Minute - Abidin on for Kurnia.
77th Minute - Hasan Mahdi on for Sutrisno. Heri Hadi on for Novriansyah.
85th Minute - Abidin with a great long ball ahead of Bahri who is clean behind the defense. He is out of gas, though, and is caught from behind and taken down just outside the area, drawing a yellow.
93rd Minute - Eboule Bille badly misjudges a pass, allowing a PSPS 1 on 1. Youwe is up to the challenge, however, and pushes it away.
That's the game.

PERSITARA 1 PSPS 0
Leo with a 7.7 to win man of the match.

[dfisher]

I win Manager of the Month for January. Varella is runner-up for Super League Player of the Month; Rinaldo gets runner-up for Young Player of the Month. Leo's goal in our last match is second for Goal of the Month.

Persitara (1st) @ Persipasi (12th) - February 2, 2020
We won 2-0 at home back in September. We are 4:5 favorites to win.

GK - Youwe
D - Hasan Mahdi, Nugroho, Eboule Bille, Rinaldo
CM - Abidin, Kurnia
AM - Novriansyah, Chiffone
ST - Varella, Suryadi

8th Minute - Hasan Mahdi sends a throwin to Suryadi standing all alone on the endline. He crosses to the far post. Varella is able to run onto it, but he heads it over.
42nd Minute - Rinaldo passes to Abidin who has some space just outside the area. Instead of shooting, he drops it to a cutting Varella, who quickly slots it home across his body!! 1-0
48th Minute - Oh no. Eboule Bille is injured and has to go off. Sutrisno comes on for him.

HALFTIME - All of their shots (4) have been long shots. Abidin with a 7.0 to lead the team.

54th Minute - Abidin tackles a ball away at midfield and quickly gets it to Varella. He plays a diagonal pass into the path of Chiffone. His shot from an angle hits side net.
64th Minute - Leo on for Abidin.
78th Minute - Firman Hadi on for Kurnia.
82nd Minute - Varella with a wonderful diagonal pass to the feet of Chiffone who keeps going into the penalty area. He sets himself and buries the shot into the net!! 2-0
89th Minute - Firman Hadi gets a throwin in the penalty area. He goes down but ends up receiving a yellow for diving.
90th Minute - Suryadi with a great pass onto the run of Novriansyah, but his shot is turned behind by a diving keeper.
91st Minute - Leo takes the ensuing corner and floats one to the far post. Sutrisno is here to head it into the net for his first ever Persitara goal!! 3-0
That's the game.

PERSITARA 3 PERSIPASI 0
Varella gets man of the match with an 8.6; Chiffone with a 7.8 and Rinaldo with a 7.7 as well.

Thankfully, Eboule Bille is out only 3-4 days with a dead leg.

We now lead by 21 points with 10 matches to go.

[dfisher]

Abidin, Sutrisno, and Yulianto get called up to the Under 21 team for a friendly. Youwe and Nugroho get called up to the National team for a World Cup Qualifier.

Sriwijaya FC (3rd) @ Persitara (1st) - February 8, 2020
One of the few teams that we didn't beat the first time around, as we drew 2-2 at their place. We are 4:5 favorites at home.

GK - Youwe
D - Hasan Mahdi, Nugroho, Eboule Bille, Rinaldo
CM - Leo, Kurnia
AM - Novriansyah, Chiffone
ST - Varella, Suryadi

15th Minute - Varella jukes a defender out of his shoes to get into the area. He circles a few others and unleashes towards the goal, but his shot is just wide.
26th Minute - Kurnia slips one into the area for Noviriansyah, but his shot from an angle is pushed away by the keeper.
33rd Minute - Novrinasyah floats a free kick to the far post. Eboule Bille runs onto it, but his header is just over.

HALFTIME - Both of my strikers are only carrying 5.9's so far.

48th Minute - Nugroho gets a knock.
59th Minute - Chiffone intercepts a pass and knocks it to Suryadi going to the left side of the pitch. He passes ahead across his body to the middle of the pitch, and Varella cuts in front of the last defender at a dead sprint to receive it. He rounds the defender and shoots from straight on at the edge of the area and scores!!! 1-0
62nd Minute - Abidin on for Nugroho, dropping Leo back to defense for the first time this year.
72nd Minute - Bahri on for Chiffone and Laly on for Suryadi.
81st Minute - Abidin is dispossessed at midfield leading to a quick counter. A thru ball gets past Eboule Bille, and the shot beats Youwe before Leo can make up enough ground to challenge. 1-1
91st Minute - A Sriwijaya striker finds a little room between Leo and Eboule Bille. They converge on him at the edge of the area as he shoots, but the ball deflects off Eboule Bille and over Youwe's head into the net. 1-2
That's the game.

SRIWIJAYA 2 PERSITARA 1
Our first league loss of the year. Leo with only a 6.0, but that should be on me. I never should have dropped him back to defense.