Steven Danis
Football Tribe Indonesia
Even though the new season of the top-tier league hasn’t yet started, football in Indonesian has never stopped, as the 2018-2019 Piala Indonesia made a comeback with the first leg of the quarter-final phase last weekend.
There is still one match postponed due to security reasons after the national election. Persebaya Surabaya’s two-legged clash with Madura United looks like it will be played on the 4th and 8th May, instead of their original schedule.
Meanwhile, Borneo FC, who won their first leg match 2-1 against Persib Bandung, also couldn’t travel in order to play the reverse fixture. As such, the two sides game will also need to play their match at a later date.
Alongside Borneo FC, two other clubs were able to secure wins in their first-leg matches. Bali United earned a 2-1 against 2018 Liga 1 champions Persija Jakarta, while Bhayangkara FC smashed PSM Makassar 4-2.
The match was a special occasion was for Bhayangkara FC, the police-professional club, who earned three points in their home ground near the complex of Indonesian Police Departement HQ. The second leg is set to be played in Makassar this Friday (5/3), where the hosts will need more than two goals to secure their progression to the next round.
The second leg matches scheduled to be played this week, but various security concerns mean it is unknown whether or not these games can actually go ahead.