Defeating Persija Jakarta's U-16 Team, LKG BRI Indonesia Enters Final Preparation Period for Gothia Cup

DEPOK, KOMPAS — The LKG BRI Indonesia team triumphed over the U-16 Persija Jakarta team with a score of 3-1 in a friendly match on Saturday (28/6/2025) at the Persija Training Field in Depok, West Java. The clash against the "Macan Kemayoran" selection team served as the final match for the "Laskar Kera Sakti" squad before departing for Gothenburg, Sweden, for the Gothia Cup 2025 on July 11.

Unlike the last trial match against Cipta Cendikia on Monday (23/6/2025) at Ayo Arena Field, Sentul, Bogor, West Java, 18 members of the LKG BRI Indonesia squad are now in good condition. This is in contrast to when they defeated Cipta Cendikia, 3-2. At that time, two attacking midfielders, Lutfi Helmi Hanafi and Radhitya Javas Nugraha, were unable to play due to issues with their legs.

Lutfi even played from the first minute in the friendly match against Persija. He, along with Oksal Kristian Gani and M Hazwan Haidar, formed a midfield trio that became the driving force of the LKG BRI Indonesia team's gameplay. Meanwhile, Radhitya started playing in the second half.

In the match that lasted 3 x 30 minutes, LKG BRI Indonesia consistently scored one goal in each half. All three goals were scored by Oksal. A goal in the first half began with a victory in getting the second ball in front of the Persija team's penalty box, then ended with a hard kick from outside the penalty box.

In the second half, Oksal converted a penalty opportunity well. The referee pointed to the spot after the Persija defender, who is projected to join the Elite Pro Academy U-16 in the 2025 season, committed a handball to block a shot by winger Rayina Pamungkas in front of goal.

Oksal, who hails from Cipta Cendikia, secured the victory for Laskar Kera Sakti with a precise shot from the left side of Persija's defense. The goal was initiated by Oksal through his individual action in the left outer zone of the home team.

"Alhamdulillah, we were able to win and all the players performed well in the match. I am determined to help the team in the Gothia Cup later," said Oksal, captain of LKG BRI Indonesia, after the match.

According to Oksal, the victory over the U-16 Persija team serves as an important asset to perfect the preparation period before heading to Sweden. In addition to winning, he continued, all players of LKG BRI Indonesia were spared from injuries.

"This result does not satisfy us yet. There is still much that we need to improve. Our main goal is to achieve the best performance in Sweden," said Oksal.

The coach of the LKG BRI Indonesia team, Tb Wahyudiansyah, welcomed the victory over the Persija team, which is still in the selection phase for players born in 2009-2010. According to Wahyu, the victory was achieved because the players were able to execute the plan effectively.

"Facing a team of the same age, this team has proven that they possess excellent quality both individually and as a team. This serves as our foundation to refine our preparations before competing in the actual tournament," said Wahyu, who is the Coach of Oneway Soccer School in the Liga Kompas U-14 Powered by BRI for the 2024-2025 season.

Tactical variations

In the match against the U-16 Persija team lasting 90 minutes, Wahyu, along with assistant coach Eddy, implemented player rotations. No player participated for the entire duration of the three match periods.

Several players were even tested to occupy two positions. This applies to Oksal, who plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger. Dimas Anggara is also not just occupying the left-back position, but is also assigned to fill the number nine position or center forward.

This result does not yet satisfy us. There is still much that we need to improve. Our main goal is to achieve the best performance in Sweden.

Muhammad Fadlan, on the other hand, played two different roles as a winger and also as a right-back. In addition, two goalkeepers, Fikri Pratama Gunawan and Fazil Darvesh, received nearly equal playing time over three periods.

One goal for Persija was scored in the third half while Fikri was in goal. Fazil, who had made one imperfect catch in the second half, redeemed his mistake with a crucial save when the match was still at a score of 2-1 in the third period.

LKG BRI Indonesia is grouped in Group 29 in the Boys 15 category (age 15 years). Two local teams, AFC Eskilstuna and Ojersjo IF, will compete against Laskar Kera Sakti along with a team from England, Prep Schools District.

Referring to the 2025 Gothia Cup schedule, three preliminary round matches will be presented from Monday to Wednesday (14-16/7/2027). The LKG BRI Indonesia match schedule will be even more packed if they qualify for the knockout phase called the playoff round.

On Thursday (17/7/2025), two matches are scheduled to take place, one for the round of 64 and one for the round of 32. The following day, the LKG BRI Indonesia team has the potential to compete three times in the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals. The semi-finals and finals will be held on the last day of the Gothia Cup 2025, Saturday (19/7/2025).

In addition to competing for the championship title, LKG BRI Indonesia is the only representative of Indonesia for the opening ceremony of the Gothia Cup 2025, on Sunday (13/7/2025), at Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg. This year's Gothia Cup is a special edition as it marks the 50th edition.

The best achievement of the Liga Kompas U-14 team in the Gothia Cup was recorded in 2013. At that time, the Liga Kompas team, which used the name ASIOP Apacinti SKF Indonesia, lost in a penalty shootout 3-4 to the Slovenian representative, NK Krsko, in the final.