2026 President's Cup: Persebaya Secures Semi-Final Ticket, Persija Has Not Surrendered

Persebaya Surabaya became the first team from Group B to secure a semi-final ticket for the 2026 President's Cup after defeating PSMS Medan 1-0 at the Gelora Bung Tomo (GBT) Stadium, Surabaya, on Wednesday evening, 29 July. Meanwhile, Persija Jakarta kept their qualification hopes alive after holding Port FC to a 2-2 draw.

This victory over PSMS cemented Bajol Ijo's position at the top of the provisional Group B standings with six points collected from two matches. On the other hand, the drawn result between Persija and Port FC means the race for the one remaining semi-final spot will remain wide open until the final group stage fixtures.

Up against Persebaya, PSMS put up a fierce fight despite being a Liga 2 side. The Ayam Kinantan squad showed no inferiority complex even when facing the Super League host side playing in front of their own home supporters.

Irfan Jauhari, Daniel Barrow, and Raihan Utama repeatedly forced Persebaya's backline, marshalled by Yuran Fernandes, to work under heavy pressure.

For the home side, Ramadhan Sananta, Miguel Pereira, and Ramalho attempted to break through PSMS' defence, but every created chance failed to produce a goal.

Persebaya finally broke the deadlock during first half stoppage time. Originating from Ramalho's corner kick, Yuran Fernandes won the aerial duel before heading the ball into PSMS' goal, putting Persebaya ahead 1-0.

Entering the second half, Head Coach Bernardo Tavares made a mass change, fielding seven substitute players at once: Risto Mitrevski, Francisco Rivera, Malik Risaldi, Tony Firmansyah, Arief Catur, M Baihaqqi, and Jefferson Silva.

PSMS only made two substitutions, bringing on Rangga Muslim and Philerson. Even so, the visiting side still managed to apply consistent pressure on Persebaya's defence.

Both Philerson and Rangga Muslim got clear opportunities to equalise, but every attempt was successfully shut down by Bajol Ijo's defensive line.

This victory confirmed Persebaya's progression to the semi-final round with six total points. Conversely, PSMS now sit at the bottom of the standings after suffering two consecutive defeats.

In the other Group B fixture, Persija Jakarta demonstrated their never-surrender mentality against Port FC. The Macan Kemayoran side fell two goals behind early, following strikes from Peeradol Chamrasamee in the 18th minute and Issam Abdallah in the 40th minute.

Persija cut the deficit just one minute later through Arlyansyah Abdulmanan before the half time break. After the restart, Stjepan Loncar scored the equaliser in the 52nd minute, forcing the match to end with a final score of 2-2.

This result places Port FC in second position of the provisional Group B standings with four points, while Persija occupies third place with one point. Macan Kemayoran's path to the semi-finals remains open, though they are required to secure a full win against PSMS Medan in the final group fixture while hoping for favourable results from the other simultaneous match.

The decisive final Group B matches will be held on Saturday, 1 August. Persebaya will face Port FC at the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium at 19.30 WIB, while Persija Jakarta are scheduled to meet PSMS Medan at the same venue earlier that day at 15.30 WIB.