Equal To Persebaya Through Cleberson Souza's Goal In The Last Minute, Madura United Are Still Solid At The Top Of The Standings Without Defeat

JAKARTA - Persebaya failed to break Madura United's unbeaten record after being held to a 2-2 draw in the fourth match of Liga 1 at the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, Sunday 14 August.

The home goals were scored by Silvio Junior in the 28th minute and Sho Yamamoto in the 48th minute, while Lulinha scored two goals for the visitors in the 7th minute and Cleberson Souza in the 90+2 minute.

As reported by Antara, these results have made Madura United firmly at the top of the standings with 10 points from three wins and one draw.

Meanwhile, Persebaya is in 11th position with a collection of four points with one win, one draw and two defeats.

The first half has only been running for seven minutes, Lulinha made the home fans silent after his hard kick from outside the penalty box failed to be anticipated by Persebaya goalkeeper Andika Ramadhani.

Left behind by a quick goal, the hosts reacted by launching attacks relying on two wings.

In the 16th minute Persebaya got a chance through Leo Lelis' free kick, but the ball hit the posse and only resulted in a corner kick.

The next "Bajul Ijo" opportunity occurred two minutes later through Silvio Junior's kick, but it was still thin over the Madura United crossbar which was escorted by Rendy Oscario.

Persebaya's reply was scored through a counter-attack scheme in the 28th minute. Koko Ari Araya, who received a short prod from the goalkeeper, dribbled the ball towards the Madura United restricted area.

Koko Ari gave the ball to Ahmad Nufiandani who then sent a cross into the penalty box. Silvio Junior who escaped the guard with a little flying successfully headed the ball into the opponent's goal.

The goal was also the last in 45 minutes of the first half.

After halftime, Persebaya coach Aji Santoso replaced two of his players, Alta Ballah and Rizky Dwiyan, by entering Arif Catur Pamungkas and Alwi Slamat.

The inclusion of these two players immediately added to the pounding power and it was proven that the second half lasted three minutes, Sho Yamamoto made Persebaya turn ahead. Higor Vidal's free kick bait from the left side of the Madura United defense was cheated by Yamamoto with his back to the goal.

In the 53rd minute, the visitors' nets shook again after Silvio Junior's header rushed into the net. However, referee Mansyur from Jakarta annulled the goal because he thought there was encouragement to the opposing player.

Feeling pressured by his team, Madura United coach Fabio Araujo Lefundes introduced Novan Sasongko to replace Dodi Alekvan, and played Beto Goncalves by pulling out Slamet Nur Cahyo.

In the 72nd minute, both coaches made a refresh. Persebaya winger Ahmad Nufiandani was replaced by Supriyadi. In the Madura camp, two players entered at once, Zulfiandi and Rifaldi Bauwo replacing Ricki Ariansyah and Pedro.

In the remaining 15 minutes of the match, both teams traded attacks and created several golden opportunities.

Several times Persebaya's imported attacking midfielder, Higor Vidal, tried to make his fortune through long-range kicks, but none of them led to the goal.

The final minutes, Madura United continued to attack the host defense. As a result, Cleberson Souza managed to break down Persebaya's goal when time had entered the minutes of added time. The score 2-2 ended until the referee blew the long whistle.