Arema FC’s position in the Liga 1 Indonesia became significantly more threatened after the Singo Edan were crushed 4-1 by relegation rivals PSS Sleman in Monday’s 2023/24 Liga 1 Indonesia match at the Manahan Stadium in Solo – a result that ended PSS’ five-match winless run.
Three out of four goals scored by PSS were from headers, with Ajak Riak finding the net in the 17th minute, Kevin Gomes at the 40th minute, and Saddam Gaffar sealing the victory in the 90th minute. The fourth goal came from an own goal by Julian Guevara in the 85th minute.
On the other hand, Arema’s solitary goal came from a free-kick by Charles Almeida in the 29th minute.
The win lifted PSS into 13th in the Liga 1 table with 35 points, four points away from 16th placed Arema. The Singo Edan‘s chances of survival hung in the balance following 15th placed Persita Tangerang’s thrilling 3-3 draw with Persib Bandung on the same day, with the Pendekar Cisadane hovering one point above Arema with three more games to go in the regular season.
In terms of gameplay, both teams exhibited a relatively slow tempo from the outset of the first half, displaying cautiousness in their attacking build-up.
However, PSS asserted dominance in ball possession during the first half. Their two goals stemmed from the pressure exerted by the Super Elja players when Arema had possession.
PSS also displayed patience and composure in creating scoring opportunities.
Meanwhile, Arema seemed perplexed in converting chances into goals. At least two opportunities from Dedik Setiawan and Charles Lokolingoy could have altered the course of the game if they had been successfully converted.
Furthermore, the coordination in Arema’s defensive line was lacking. The last two goals conceded by Arema resulted from blunders due to poor coordination between goalkeeper Julian Schwarzer, Bagas Adi, and Guevara in anticipating balls entering the penalty area.