Even though Persib lost to Persebaya, the Persib coach still gave high appreciation to the players.

Persib Bandung footballer Patricio Martin Matricardi celebrates after scoring a goal against Persebaya Surabaya in the 2026 President's Cup final at the I Wayan Dipta Captain Stadium, Gianyar, Bali, Thursday (6/8/2026). (Antara - Nyoman Hendra Wibowo/kye)

JAKARTA - Persib Bandung coach Igor Tolic still gave high appreciation to his players' fighting spirit even though his team suffered a defeat in the 2026 President's Cup final.

Persib failed to bring the President's Cup trophy for the second time after being defeated by Persebaya Surabaya through a penalty shootout which ended with a score of 4-5 at the Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, Bali, Thursday. Previously, the two teams played a draw 1-1 in normal time and extra time after Ramadhan Sananta's goal was equalized by Patricio Matricardi in the first half.

"We broke through to the final with an incomplete team. We rotated a lot of young players, and in the end we had to lose on penalties," said Tolic, quoted from Persib's official website, Friday.

Persib since the beginning of the tournament has not been strengthened by its best players because they defend the Indonesian national team in the 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup (AFF Cup).

A total of seven players were included in the Garuda final squad for the most prestigious tournament in Southeast Asia. They are Beckham Putra, Thom Haye, Eliano Reijnders, Marc Klok, Saddil Ramdani, as well as their two new players, Sandy Walsh and Ragnar Oratmangoen.

The absence of key players makes Persib give opportunities to a number of their young players to appear in this preseason tournament, such as Nazriel Alfaro Syahdan, Rafi Rasyiq, Adzikry Fadlillah, Faris Abdul Hafizh, to Ikhwan Ali Tanamal.

In the final, Maung Bandung also lost Mariano Peralta in the 112th minute due to a red card, so they had to play with 10 players.

Goalkeeper Fitrah Maulana managed to extend his team's breath after successfully deflecting Yuran Fernandes' penalty kick. The action brought the penalty shootout to "sudden death", where Hamra Hehanusa failed to execute the kick well, while Persebaya's last penalty kicker Gledson completed his task.

"The penalty shootout is about luck. Today we were 0-1 behind and then could equalize the score 1-1 even though we were outnumbered. We are not champions, but I am sure Bobotoh can smile proudly seeing how this team fights and how our identity for next season," said Tolic.

Even though he failed to win a trophy, Tolic ensured that Persib's journey did not stop at the President's Cup. He emphasized that the team's focus has now shifted entirely to preparing for the 2026/27 Super League competition and the AFC Champions League Two play-off.

"Our task now is to prepare as well as possible for the league competition and the Champions League qualifiers. The players must maintain this standard of play. In terms of motivation and determination to win, there is no doubt about them. This champion mentality will continue to be maintained," concluded Tolic.