The first matchweek of the 2021/22 Liga 3 Indonesia national round’s first group stage was played out on Sunday and Monday, with a number of teams already establishing themselves as frontrunners to advance into the second group stage, considering that the first group stage of the national round will only have three matches to be played. Here are five points from Matchweek 1 of the national round’s first group stage.
1. Prilly’s reign kicks-off with huge win
Only days before the start of the first group stage, Persikota Tangerang were officially bought out by actress Prilly Latucosina. Prilly’s arrival heralded a new era for Persikota, who has been absent from the Indonesian top-flight for a good 14 years, with the phrase “Reborn” being the Bayi Ajaib‘s tagline for the national round.
Taking time off promoting her new movie Kukira Kau Rumah, Prilly attended Persikota’s national round starter against Persikasi Kabupaten Bekasi at the Benteng Stadium on Sunday. The presence of the Ganteng Ganteng Serigala star rightfully spurred Persikota into action, and Sahala Saragih’s men started their national round campaign in the best way possible – hammering a halpless Persikasi 4-0.
2. COVID and bad weather overshadows the national round
Just like the 2021/22 Liga 1 season, the Liga 3 national round was overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only that, the league’s organizers must also contend with torrential rainfall that has been affecting Indonesia for the past few weeks. A total of two Matchweek 1 games were affected due to factors outside of the organizers’ control, though one of them managed to saw it’s conclusion without any further disturbances.
Persipal Palu’s national round opener against Gabsis Sambas at the Galuh Stadium in Ciamis on Sunday was postponed following an outbreak of COVID cases within the Persipal squad, with 17 players reportedly tested positive for the disease. With a relatively tight schedule for everyone in the Liga 3, it remains to be seen on whether this match will be played at a future date or will the match is to be forfeited.
Meanwhile, also on Sunday, Bandung United’s match against Persihalsel Halmahera Selatan was interrupted by heavy rain at the Brawijaya Stadium in Kediri, which forced the referee to postpone the match in the 62nd minute with the scores tied at 0-0. The match was restarted the following morning at the same venue and both teams managed to retain their goalless draw, earning them both a point in the process.
3. Sasongko and Novianto’s still got it
It’s surprising that only a few years ago the likes of Joko Sasongko and Martinus Novianto were featured in the Indonesia national team age groups. Despite neither player had represented the Timnas Garuda senior team, the duo had some experience within the age groups, with Sasongko having represented Indonesia U-23 three times and Novianto having played for Indonesia U-19 three times and Indonesia U-21 once.
Novianto was also part of Indra Sjafri’s class of 2013/14, the golden generation of Indonesia U-19 that featured the likes of Evan Dimas, Ilham Udin Armaiyn, Yanto Basna, Muchlis Hadi, Hansamu Yama, and Ricky Fajrin, while Sasongko had played for the likes of Pelita Jaya, Arema FC, Putra Samarinda and Kalteng Putra throughout his career.
However, as time went on, the duo found themselves playing in the Liga 3, with the two being the centerpiece of their respective teams. Sasongko is seeking to bring Persebi Boyolali into the promised land that is the Liga 2, while Novianto is spearheading the revival of Deltras Sidoarjo, a fallen giant in Indonesian football.
The two former national team age group players scored in their national round openers, with Sasongko guiding Persebi to a 2-0 win over Toli FC at the Brawijaya Stadium on Monday, while the day before Novianto scored the only goal as hosts Deltras edged out Tornado FC Pekanbaru 1-0 at the Gelora Delta.
4. Gresik United starts road to recovery
The past few years hasn’t been kind to Gresik United. The Kebo Giras were relegated from the Liga 1 in 2017, before suffering the ignominy of a second-straight relegation into the Liga 3 in 2018. An attempt to claw themselves back up the Indonesian football pyramid with an immediate return to the Liga 2 ended in failure as Gresik United failed to advance into the 2019 Liga 3 national round.
In those years as well, Gresik United saw a change of management that saw them get rid of the “Persegres” moniker in their name, their badge reverting back to the old one that was widely accepted by fans since their foundation in 2005, fresh investment being pumped into the squad, and experienced head coach Subangkit being appointed to guide the Kebo Giras out of the abyss that is the Liga 3.
Under Subangkit, Gresik United managed to qualify into the Liga 3 national round as East Javan 3rd placers, however prior to the nationals Subangkit suddenly announced his resignation. Thankfully, Gresik’s finest footballing sons rallied around Gresik United and formed the spine of the new management team who will guide the club through the national round.
Khusaeri, who captained Gresik United’s predecessor Petrokimia Putra to the Indonesian top-flight title in 2002, was appointed as head coach, and helping him is Agus Indra Kurniawan, who had played alongside Khusaeri in 2002. Fellow assistant coaches Basuki and Heri Purnomo as well as goalkeeping coach Ahmad Nurosadi were also notable Petrokimia alumni, Gresik’s finest footballers who are dead set in restoring glory to the city’s premier club.
Underneath new management, Gresik United managed to win their national round opener, a narrow 1-0 victory over a determined Alesha FC Makassar side at the Gelora Joko Samudro on Sunday. It’s not the best of wins and the Kebo Giras had to endure intense pressure from Alesha, but in the end the three points would provide Gresik United with an excellent platform to qualify into the second group stage.
5. Perslobar and Panipi Raya serve up classic
Perslobar Lombok Barat and Panipi Raya FC Gorontalo aren’t the teams that you think might qualify into the second group stage, being relative minnows compared to more renowned names such as Gresik United, Deltras, or Persikota. But they did serve up some entertainment in their national round opener, with the duo playing out a 7-goal thriller at the Benteng Stadium on Monday.
Perslobar won their match 4-3, but that victory didn’t came without drama. The Mataram-based team found themselves 4-1 up deep into the second half, however Panipi Raya refused to give up. The Gorontalo-based team gave Perslobar an almighty scare by scoring two goals that brought the scoreline to 4-3, however their spirited comeback was cut short by the final whistle. Heartbreak for the Panipi Raya faithful, a sigh of relief for the Perslobar fans, and pure entertainment for the neutrals.