Persija Jakarta ace Gustavo has scored the first hat-trick of the 2024/25 Liga 1 Indonesia season as he helped his team to a 3-0 win over Barito Putera in Saturday’s opening week match at the Jakarta International Stadium.
Playing in front of their passionate supporters, Persija immediately put pressure on Barito’s defense from the first minute of the match.
The Macan Kemayoran‘s attacking trio, consisting of Riko Simanjuntak, Gustavo, and Ryo Matsumura, launched an early offensive, but their attacks were successfully thwarted by the visiting team.
Persija’s aggressive attacks finally paid off in the 11th minute. Gustavo broke the deadlock after capitalizing on a pass from Riko.
As the first half progressed, Barito tried to challenge Persija’s defense. However, Carlos Pena’s men stood strong and soaked up all incoming Laskar Antasari attacks.
Despite maintaining pressure, Persija failed to extend their lead before the end of the first half. The score remained 1-0 in favor of Persija at half-time.
Entering the second half, Persija successfully doubled their lead in the 71st minute through a penalty, flawlessly executed by Gustavo. Gustavo’s low shot to the right side of the goal was unstoppable by Satria Tama in the Barito goal.
The referee awarded the penalty after reviewing the VAR, clearly showing that a Barito defender had committed a handball while trying to block Riko’s cross in the penalty box.
Gustavo then completed his hat trick in the 82nd minute with a brilliant individual effort. He outmaneuvered the opposing defender before firing a powerful low shot into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Despite being ahead, Persija continued to press until the final minutes. Substitute Marko Simic nearly extended Persija’s lead in the third minute of injury time, but his close-range shot missed the target after a one-on-one encounter with Satria.
Simic’s chance was the last of the game as Persija held on to retain their three-goal advantage into the final whistle.
Saturday’s other match also saw PSM Makassar crushing Persis Solo 3-0 at the Batakan Stadium in Balikpapan, while newly-promoted Malut United earned themselves a historic point in a 1-1 draw away at last season’s runners-up Madura United.
The results ensured that both Persija and PSM are within the top three of the Liga 1 standings, with defending champions Persib Bandung leading the way following their 4-1 opening day thrashing of PSBS Biak on Friday.