A goal straight from the corner flag from Alfreandra Dewangga was enough to settle a tense Central Java Derby, as PSIS Semarang edged out provincial rivals Persis Solo 1-0 at the Manahan Stadium on Saturday’s 2024/25 Liga 1 Indonesia match.
After an exchange of blows between the two sides throughout the first half, it was PSIS who silenced the Persis faithful flocking the Manahan Stadium in the second minute of stoppage time.
Dewangga took a corner kick from the right side of the pitch, swinging in the ball with his left foot. The ball went over the heads of the Persis and PSIS players flocking the box, before bouncing off the ground and into the goal.
Persis goalkeeper Muhammad Riyandi was caught completely off-guard by the incoming ball, with his eyesight being obscured by several PSIS players flocking his area, all of whom ready to head the incoming corner into the goal. However, the ball did not reach any of the players in question and instead nestled itself within Riyandi’s goal.
Stunned by such a goal, Persis pushed forward for an equalizer throughout the second half. Ricardo Lima managed to level things up for the Laskar Sambernyawa in the 85th minute, however the Brazilian defender was already offside when he scored his goal, prompting the referee to chalk it off.
In the end, PSIS managed to retain their slender lead into full-time, going home to Semarang with not only all three points, but also bragging rights as the top dogs of Central Java.
Saturday’s other Liga 1 match saw Borneo FC Samarinda exact revenge on Arema FC over their 2024 Piala Presiden final defeat, with the Pesut Etam beating the Singo Edan 2-0 at the Gelora Soeprijadi in Blitar thanks to goals from Burundi international Christophe Nduwarugira and Terens Puhiri.