William Barros' Red Card Mars Persib's Failed Comeback Against Ratchaburi FC in ACL Group Stage
Source: Antara/Rizal Hanafi
Persib Bandung's journey in the 2025/2026 AFC Champions League Two ended in the Round of 16. The 1-0 victory over Ratchaburi FC in the second leg at Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, was not enough to overturn the situation.
The Bandung Maung were eliminated with a 1-3 aggregate score after suffering a heavy 0-3 defeat in the first leg in Thailand.
The narrow home win served only as a bitter end to the Indonesian representative's campaign.
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From the opening whistle, Bojan Hodak's squad played aggressively. In the sixth minute, Berguinho's header, connecting with Patricio Matricardi's cross, found the back of the net. However, the goal was disallowed for offside.
Berguinho threatened again in the 23rd minute. However, his left-footed shot from outside the penalty box was saved by Ratchaburi goalkeeper Kampon Phatommakkakul.
The goal the Bobotoh had been waiting for finally came in the 39th minute through Andrew Jung.
Initially disallowed for a suspected foul, referee Majed Mohammed Al Shamrani from Saudi Arabia reviewed the VAR footage before finally awarding the goal. Persib led 1-0, narrowing the aggregate to 1-3.
That momentum briefly raised hopes. However, the situation changed after Uilliam Barros received a red card in the 45+7th minute following his harsh foul on Jonathan Khemdee.
Playing with 10 men made the comeback mission even more difficult.
In the 74th minute, Persib got a chance when Beckham Putra Nugraha's pass inside the penalty box found Layvin Kurzawa, but the Ratchaburi keeper was able to anticipate it.
Despite constant pressure, Ratchaburi's defense remained solid. The discipline of Worrawoot Srimaka's backline frustrated Persib's attempts to break down their tightly packed low block.
The 1-0 scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle.
The home victory felt hollow as the 1-3 aggregate confirmed Persib's exit from this season's ACL Two at the Round of 16 stage.
