Friday, September 19, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Stadion Gelora Bung Tomo , Surabaya
Bruno 78'
R. P. Ribeiro Sousa Peixoto 58'
S. Simanjuntak 64'
Full time

Persebaya Surabaya Still Looks Like Champions — Even When Playing Ugly

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On a sticky September evening at Stadion Gelora Bung Tomo, Persebaya Surabaya took another unglamorous step toward what increasingly looks like an inevitable run for the Liga 1 title, squeezing out a narrow 1-0 victory over a scrappy Semen Padang side. In a match that offered more tension than sparkle, Persebaya proved, yet again, that substance — the kind that turns close games into points on the board — may matter more than the kind of style their supporters once demanded.

A One-Goal Margin, But So Much More at Stake

On the face of it, the result will not set pulses racing: a single goal scraping through in the 78th minute was all that separated the teams. Yet for Persebaya, who entered this game licking their wounds after last week’s defeat to Persib Bandung, the three points snatched here may prove more significant than a flashier win. Semen Padang arrived sore themselves, still stinging from a loss to PSBS Biak — and their approach reflected that bruised pride, as they sat deep and fought Persebaya for every ball.

The decisive moment came in the second half, just as tension was cresting. Bruno Moreira, Persebaya’s Brazilian forward and now the club’s talismanic presence in the attack, found himself in the right place as Padang’s defense failed to clear a looping ball into the box. With a sharp turn and low finish, Moreira netted his third of the campaign, silencing Padang’s bench and sending the home section into a frenzy.

The Tiniest of Margins

If it wasn’t for Moreira’s cool nerve — and a slip from Padang’s exhausted back line — Persebaya’s profligate finishing might have cost them. The first half, in particular, saw the home side struggle against Padang’s compact 4-5-1, with half-chances falling to Paulo Gali and Marcelino Ferdinan but ultimately being spurned. Semen Padang contributed little in attack but had enough resolve, epitomized by center-back Randy May, to make life difficult for Persebaya.

Few would have bet on Moreira’s goal holding up for the remaining quarter of an hour, especially as Padang began to throw on attacking substitutes. And yet, Persebaya’s back line — led by the increasingly influential Rachmat Irianto — held their nerve amid a flurry of late corners and hopeful long balls. If there was a lesson for the title chasers, it was that champions defend as well as they attack.

Key Performances: The Backbone of Victory

  • Bruno Moreira delivered what Persebaya paid for. Not only did his goal win the match, but his link play kept Padang honest and allowed his team to reset after each offensive foray.
  • Rachmat Irianto, recently converted to a deeper defensive role, was the evening’s unheralded hero. With his positional sense and last-ditch tackling, he snuffed out a pair of Padang breakaways and covered for young fullback Mikael Tata’s rare lapses.
  • Persebaya keeper Aditya Arya, with little to do for much of the game, made a crucial punch clear in the 85th minute, preventing what looked like an equalizing header.

For Semen Padang, the bright spot was midfielder Oktavianus Fernando, whose energy and ball-winning provided a crucial shield in front of his back line. The Minang side, however, sorely lacked composure and quality in the final third — a problem for manager Delfi Adri, whose side slipped to 14th in the standings.

A Step Closer — But Not Without Questions

The script, thus far, reads well for Persebaya. They sit comfortably in third, posting a league-best defensive record and the kind of results — patient, gritty, often unlovely — that typify champions. Yet the murmurs from the terraces cannot be entirely ignored. This was another match where Persebaya’s midfield failed to impose itself for long stretches. The much-heralded Paulo Gali struggled to find space, while Dedi Riski and Mikael Tata, both introduced in the second half, were unable to change the tempo as the game wore on.

It begs the question: can Persebaya grind their way to the title, or will their limitations in open play come home to roost when pressured by Indonesia’s other top sides? For all their defensive solidity, the team’s attack has increasingly relied on flashes of individual quality rather than sustained pressure or intricate combinations.

Semen Padang: In Need of a Spark

For Semen Padang, time is beginning to press. Now languishing just above the relegation places, they have suffered from a chronic lack of goals. Their last three matches have yielded just one goal and an increasing sense of frustration among the club’s traveling support. Manager Adri will hope for reinforcements in the attacking third — or at the very least, a return to form for senior forward Dwi Rizky, who looked increasingly isolated and frustrated.

Broader Implications: Is Persebaya’s Grit the Stuff of Champions, or a Sign of Vulnerability?

Here’s where the story turns. Persebaya may not thrill, but they are thriving. For all the contemporary analysis that obsesses over possession metrics and attacking patterns, sometimes it is steel, not silk, that endures through a long season’s attritional slog. The evidence? This is Persebaya’s third win by a single-goal margin this campaign, and each time, the points have felt like rewards for composure — not creativity.

Yet, this tilt toward substance comes with risk. With the league’s bigger matches to come, will opponents with sharper forward lines find more joy against Persebaya? Or has coach Aji Santoso molded a team built for efficiency, a side that cares little for beauty if it gets the job done?

For now, the green half of Surabaya will not care. Sitting pretty, just a stride behind Persib and Persija in the standings, Persebaya is in every sense in control of its own destiny. The question will linger: is “winning ugly” the foundation of a title, or a papering over of deeper cracks?

At Gelora Bung Tomo, on this sticky Friday night, the answer was enough to draw delirious cheers — even if some in the crowd, secretly, miss the swagger of champions past. For now, results — even ugly ones — are all that matter. In a title race this tight, that might just be enough.