Thomas Doll Relieved Persija To Win Over Exactly, But Made Dizzy With Red Cards

Persija won over Persis Solo (Instagram/@persija).

JAKARTA - Persija Jakarta coach, Thomas Doll, said he was relieved by the victory his team won when they hosted Persis Solo. However, despite that, Doll is worried that the number of players in the squad will continue to run low due to the red card.

Appearing as the host at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Senayan, on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the Kemayoran Tigers won 1-0 over Persis. The only goal created in this match was a donation from Marko Simic.

The three points at headquarters are a proud achievement, considering Thomas Doll is so limited in team formation. This happened because many players were absent for various reasons.

As is known, five Persija players are strengthening the U-23 Indonesian national team. They are Rizky Ridho, Muhammad Ferarri, Dony Tri Pamungkas, Ilham Rio Fahmi, and Rayhan Hannan. Meanwhile, two other players, namely Hansamu Yama, were injured and Firza Andika was still serving an accumulated card sentence.

"This is not the best match, but the most important is three points. We need these three points. Thank you supporters from start to finish a lot to help us. In fact, today and tomorrow they have to work, thank you," said Thomas Doll in a press conference after the match.

It's just that, behind Persija's victory, the difficult situation was also experienced by both teams in this match. The reason is, Persija and Persis must both appear with 10 players after Gavin Kwan and Syahrian Abhimanyu get a red card.

Thomas Doll is clearly made even more dizzy by Abhimanyu's sentence for making Persija's choice less minimal.

"We are now missing Abhimanyu after five players left. Now we only have 14 (players) with two goalkeepers sitting on the bench. This is clearly difficult," said Doll.

After winning over Persis, Persija must fight again in the remaining competition matches. Nearby, they will face Barito Putera in the 32nd week of Liga 1 2023/2024.

The match will be held on April 21, 2024 at the Sultan Agung Stadium, Bantul.