Borneo Samarinda managed to exact their revenge on Arema FC for losing the 2022 Piala Presiden title to them by battering the Singo Edan 3-0 at the Segiri Stadium in Sunday’s Liga 1 Indonesia Matchweek 1 action.
Having won the Piala Presiden pre-season tournament 1-0 on aggregate over the Pesut Etam on the back of a resolute defensive display in Samarinda, Arema could not muster the same in their Liga 1 opening day rematch, going 2-0 down in the opening 10 minutes thanks to a brace from former Singo Edan player Ahmad Nur Hardianto.
Ahmad’s two quick goals sent the Arema camp into utter disarray, as Borneo went straight into the jugular and forced Adilson Maringa to keep the scorelines somewhat respectable with a number of saves.
The second half saw Borneo toning down their pressure slightly, but nonetheless they were keen to keep Arema at arm’s length. The Singo Edan attempted to break their way into Borneo’s defenses, however the likes of Dedik Setiawan and Ilham Udin Armayn were unable to get past Angga Saputro in the Borneo goal.
Instead of chasing the game, Arema saw themselves fighting to prevent another goal conceded as Borneo managed to hit them on the counter twice, firstly through Misbakus Solikhin firing wide in the 67th minute before Matheus Pato saw his chip going above Maringa’s goal.
Disaster struck for Borneo after Leo Guntara was sent off in the 83rd minute following the left-back kicking Rizky Dwi Febrianto in the chest. Arema then saw themselves playing with 10 men as well after Rizky kicked Sihran Amrullah in the head shortly afterwards, leading to Rizky receiving his marching orders from the referee.
Sihran then compounded a miserable night for Arema after his deflection of Stefano Lilipaly’s free-kick resulted in Borneo’s third and final goal of the match.
Sunday’s action also saw a high-octane draw between Bhayangkara FC and Persib Bandung at the Wibawa Mukti Stadium, with the two sides sharing a 2-2 draw. New signing Youssef Ezzejjari had given Bhayangkara the lead in the 38th minute before Rachmat Irianto drew things level in the 42nd minute. Frets Butuan then gave Persib the lead three minutes after the restart, only for Sani Rizki Fauzi’s 85th minute strike denying the Maung Bandung all three points.
Matchweek 1 finishes on Monday with three matches – Persis Solo hosting Dewa United at the Moch. Soebroto Stadium in Magelang, Persik Kediri visiting Persita Tangerang, while Persikabo 1973 host Persebaya Surabaya.