PSIM Yogyakarta's mission in the Second Round of the Super League

PSIM Yogyakarta carries a special mission in the second round of the Super League competition. (VOI/Gonang Susaty)

YOGYAKARTA - PSIM Yogyakarta was a surprise in the 2025/2026 Super League competition. With the status of a promotion team as the Liga 2 champion, PSIM successfully broke into the top of the highest class. The team nicknamed Laskar Mataram also carried a special mission when entering the second round of the competition.

Who would have thought PSIM could occupy the sixth position when closing the first round of the competition. In that position, PSIM was able to outperform top teams, Bali United, Persebaya Surabaya, Arema FC to PSM Makassar.

Not only that, PSIM also recorded a record as one of the teams that lost the least. They only lost three times when playing against Persija Jakarta, Persita Tangerang and Bali United by winning eight victories and six draws. The 4-0 defeat when visiting Persita's headquarters was the biggest defeat from the team coached by Jean Paul van Gastel.

Interestingly, only three teams have lost three times this season. In addition to PSIM, there is Persib Bandung who leads the standings and North Maluku (Malut) who matches the achievement of the Yogyakarta City team. However, PSIM proved to be the most consistent team in the first half of the competition.

"The consistency of the team is seen by the position in the standings. PSIM is always in the fourth to sixth position. We go up and down in that position. There are teams that are not consistent, such as being in the top position but then falling far behind. We don't want that and try to be consistent," said manager Razzi Taruna in response to his readiness to enter the second round of the competition.

"The success of occupying the sixth position in the standings by winning 30 points is indeed quite satisfying considering that we are a promotion team. But this is nothing yet. We certainly hope to achieve better results in the second round and must be more consistent," he said again.

Even though they are staying at the top and have never been thrown out of the top 10, PSIM is still realistic when they take the second round which will be more tight with fierce competition. The reason is, the teams in the lower zone will try to stay away from the threat of relegation.

The hunt for the title is getting more tense because Persib, which is perched at the top of the standings with 38 points, is only a thin margin ahead of its competitors. Borneo FC, which is in second place, for example, is only one point behind.

Meanwhile, in third place is Persija who has 35 points. Malut is still worth considering because he is only four points behind Maung Bandung.

"By looking at the map of competition, we are being realistic. We want to survive in a comfortable condition. But if we have the opportunity to achieve a higher position, of course we don't mind," he said.

PSIM does not want to be careless and lazy when entering the second round. Moreover, the team will play a match with a heavy schedule in February.

How not, after hosting Persebaya who started the second round, PSIM played a difficult away game against Borneo FC, Persik Kediri and PSBS Biak. When hosting Borneo FC, the team was forced to surrender 3-1 and draw 2-2 against PSBS.

At home, PSIM faces Persis Solo in the Mataram and Bali United Derby. According to Razzi, the physical challenge is the main concern of the team, considering the intensity of the match increases in the second round. Razzi emphasized the importance of maintaining the focus and fitness of the players so that the positive trend remains maintained.

"With a busy schedule and a tough opponent in February, players must remain focused and fit. This is the key to keeping performance consistent," he said again.