Mauricio Souza Praises Persija's Dominance & Mentions One-Sided Referee Claims After Beating Persik Kediri

Persija Jakarta continues to surge as one of the most stable teams in this season's BRI Super League. Their 3-1 victory over Persik Kediri at Manahan Stadium, Surakarta, on Thursday night, serves as proof of The Kemayoran Tigers' consistency and extends their positive streak to five consecutive wins. 

However, this win was also accompanied by another issue: the referee's leadership questioned by the opposing camp.

Persija coach, Mauricio Souza, asserted that this victory was fully deserved by his team. He stated Persija performed better from the first minute, even when Persik briefly stole the lead through Ezra Walian's free kick. 

“We were better than the opponent throughout the match. Until their goal, the field was still usable for playing. After their goal, the field wasn't playable anymore for us to play well,” said Souza.

Despite trailing, Persija responded with sharper attacks in the second half. Eksel Runtukahu opened the scoring, followed by Maxwell who made it 2-1, and Witan Sulaeman sealed the deal to secure the three points. 

“But I believe Persija was better in this match from the first minute. We conceded, but we were still better on the field,” he emphasized.

This win solidifies Persija's position in second place in the Super League standings with 26 points. This momentum serves as crucial capital heading into their next match.

However, another point of focus emerged from Persik's comments referencing the referee's leadership. Allegations of bias surfaced after the match, but Souza chose not to get entangled in that controversy. 

“That is their opinion. They committed many fouls. They stopped the game for so long. There was also that foul against Arli (Arlyansyah Abdulmanan), because he was heading towards goal. That should have been a red card,” he explained. 

Amid the match tension and referee issues, Souza still gave the stage to a young player. Figo Dennis, a 19-year-old player, made his debut in this match. Coming on as a substitute, he admitted feeling emotional and full of gratitude. 

“This match was very important for me, especially as I must first thank the coach, officials, and senior teammates in the team. They gave me a lot of input, and the hard work I've put in with the other players hasn't been easy either,” Figo expressed.

Persija now shifts focus to their next match, where they will once again host an opponent at Manahan. This time, PSIM Yogyakarta will be the guests on November 28, an important moment for The Kemayoran Tigers to maintain momentum and continue putting pressure on the league leaders.(Antara)