In a match interrupted by heavy rain, PSM Makassar managed to bounce back from a goal down to beat hosts RANS Nusantara FC 2-1 in the final game of the 2022/23 Liga 1 Indonesia’s Matchweek 4 on Monday. Two goals from Everton Goncalves turned the match in PSM’s favor after Mitsuru Maruoka’s first half goal, ensuring that the Juku Eja would remain as one of the only three unbeaten teams in this season’s Liga 1 so far.
With Madura United and Persikabo 1973 successfully retaining their own unbeaten runs despite failing to win in Matchweek 4, PSM had the chance of closing the gap on both Laskar Sapeh Kerrab and Laskar Padjajaran with a win over newly-promoted RANS Nusantara at the Pakansari Stadium on Monday.
However, with torrential rain pouring over Bogor Regency throughout Monday night, things didn’t go both teams’ way early in the match. After 20 minutes of fruitless passing and minimal chances on a severely water-logged pitch, the referee consulted both teams and decided to suspend the match until further notice.
Hostilities resumed one hour and fifteen minutes later once pitch conditions improve and in the 31st minute, hosts RANS Nusantara opened the scoring. PSM defender Yuran Fernandes tried his best in warding off a RANS Nusantara corner, however the ball evades the lanky defender and found itself in the possession of Maruoka. The former Borussia Dortmund, Cerezo Osaka, and BG Pathum United man then unleashed a powerful shot from outside the area that went straight into Reza Arya Pratama’s goal.
PSM got their equalizer three minutes into the second half, after Everton managed to wiggle his way out of Fadilla Akbar’s marking on his way to receive a Yakob Sayuri pass, before the Brazilian rifled home past RANS Nusantara goalie Wawan Hendrawan.
Disaster struck RANS Nusantara in the 79th minute following Victor Sallinas’ red card for a last-man foul on Everton and PSM managed to capitalize on the numbers’ advantage. It took the Juku Eja until the second minute of injury time, but nonetheless the South Sulawesi giants snagged their winner after Everton seized upon a Yance Sayuri pass to once again beat Wawan.
The 2-1 win meant that PSM remain joint-top alongside Madura United and Persikabo, while RANS Nusantara found themselves mired in 16th place, the last relegation spot.