Liga 1 2022/2023: Persija Win Tickets Towards The AFC Cup, Persib Must Be Satisfied In Third Position

Persija Jakarta player, Witan Sulaeman, is celebrating a goal against PSS Sleman. (Photo: Twitter/@Persija_Jkt)

JAKARTA - Persija Jakarta has sealed a ticket to the 2023/2024 AFC Cup qualifying round. Meanwhile, Persib Bandung, who is the closest competitor, must settle for third place in the final standings of Liga 1 2022/2023.

Persija solidified their position in second place in the standings with 66 points. This is thanks to a 5-0 victory over PSS Sleman in the last match, Saturday, April 15.

Michael Krmencik became the star of the Kemayoran Tigers. He scored a hat trick in this match. Meanwhile, two other Persija goals were scored by Witan Sulaeman and Aji Kusuma.

In another match, Persib closed the 2022-2023 Liga 1 season in third place after losing to Persikabo 1973 with a score of 1-4.

The four goals created from Persikabo were scored by Lucao in the 41st minute, Lucky Octavianto in the 60th minute, Silvio Pereira in the 62nd minute, and Pedro Henrique in the 83rd minute.

Meanwhile, Persib was only able to score one goal by David Da Silva in the 71st minute in his home game. This match itself was colored by the lighting of fireworks and flares by Maung Bandung fans.

This incident occurred after time entering 90th. As a result, the GBLA Stadium was shrouded in smoke and the referee stated that the match could not be continued.

Until the match was stopped, Persib was unable to catch a deficit of three goals against Persikabo. The West Java derby also made Persib end the league in third place with a record of 62 points.