Southeast Asia Indonesia

Arema FC Crowned Champions of the 2019 Piala Presiden

Steven Danis

Football Tribe Indonesia

 

Last Friday Arema beat Persebaya Surabaya 2-0 at their home ground, the Kanjuruhan stadium, in the second leg of the 2019 Piala Presiden final. Both teams took an aggressive pressing approach and managed to make at least 6-7 attempts in just the five first minutes. However, despite the explosive start, the hosts had to wait until the 43rd minute to take the lead, when Makan Konate slipped a through pass to Ahmad Nur Hardiyanto, who sent a low shot into Persebaya’s goal.

The visitors had many chances to level the scoring but Arena’s defensive line remained unbreakable. Hamka Hamzah and Arthur Cunha successfully limited Amido Balde’s movement and tried to play with his temperamental side. The second goal came suddenly, right before the final whistle blown. In the last chance of the match, Ricky Kayame managed to find the back of the net and secure the win for Arema.

This is the second time Arema have won the pre-season tournament. Nine of the players who previously won the Piala Presiden back in 2017 are still on the team and have added another accolade to their names. This result also means that Makan Konate becomes the only player to win the Piala Presiden twice with different clubs.