Persija Jakarta's Courage Shines in the Opening Match

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Persija Jakarta begins a new chapter in the 2025-2026 Super League season with great courage. With a highly aggressive offensive playing style under Brazilian coach Mauricio Souza, Persija successfully defeated Persita Tangerang in the first week.

While many teams were still searching for their rhythm in the opening match, Persija was not among them. They immediately displayed a fierce performance by defeating Persita 4-0 at the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) on Sunday (10/8/2025) evening WIB. The "Macan Kemayoran" roared in front of their supporters, Jakmania.

Goals from defender Rizki Ridho and striker Maxwell, along with a brace from winger Allano Brendon, effectively defeated the "Pendekar Cisadane" (Cisadane Warriors). Persita coach Carlos Pena faced a bitter reunion at JIS. Pena led Persija in the 2024-2025 season.

Persija, playing in a 4-3-3 formation, boldly maintained a high intensity from the kickoff. They showcased an extremely high defensive line, with the central defensive duo of Jordi Amat and Rizki Ridho frequently advancing to the midfield. Upon losing possession, they immediately ambushed their opponents.

As a result, Persita did not develop much. The visiting team spent more time waiting in their own half of the field and aimed for counterattacks. When they attempted to launch an attack, the players of Persija always pressed very swiftly. Persita was only able to achieve 38 percent ball possession.

It was initially difficult to penetrate the disciplined defense of Persita, who employed a 4-5-1 formation, but the home team eventually found their rhythm in the first half. Persija created two consecutive chances through the shots of midfielder Gustavo Franca and winger Arlyansyah Abdulmanan.

Just a few minutes later, JIS erupted. Persija took the lead through a shot by Rizky in the penalty area. The goal from the captain was produced through a short corner kick scheme. The decision of the set-piece executor, Allano Brendon, not to loft the ball paid off handsomely.

The Persija squad's intense performance was commendable. Even after taking a 1-0 lead, Rizky and his teammates remained undaunted in their high block. Persita's players also struggled to penetrate the opposition's final third. When the visitors attempted to rely on long passes, they were caught in the offside trap.

The courage of Souza's team was fully rewarded in the second half. "Macan Kemayoran" added two goals in the 67th minute (Allano) and the 71st minute (Maxwell). The pair of goals originated from the aggressive pressure of Persija, which forced Persita players to lose the ball in their own area.

With Persita already waving the "white flag," Allano punished the visitors again in injury time. He capitalized on passive pressure from the Persita defenders outside the penalty area. Allano sealed Persija's victory with a long-range shot that sailed like a rocket.

Striving to rise, Persita increased the pressure in the second half. However, Persija remained undaunted in building attacks from the back. Brazilian goalkeeper Carlos Eduardo was very calm in distributing passes to the defenders amid the pressure from the "Pendekar Cisadane" squad.

The Persija squad has many Brazilian players. As many as 6 out of 11 starting players come from the "Samba Nation," including Allano and Gustavo. Although Brazil is known for its beautiful style of play, the coach does not demand that his team play beautifully throughout the match.

Our duty isn't to play beautifully. Our duty is to fight all the time.

Souza prioritizes results. When his team can perform well, as they did against Persita earlier, he is very pleased. However, if they must win in a less elegant manner, the coach has no objections. "Our obligation is not to play beautifully. Our obligation is to fight at all times," he stated.

Persija's style is not without risks. They were nearly caught off guard several times when the ball was intercepted in the midfield area. One such instance occurred in the second half. Persita's substitute player, Andrejic Aleksa, almost punished the hosts with a counterattack, but his shot hit the post.

Souza has emphasized that winning the opening match is indeed important. However, it is merely the beginning of the team's long journey. "The most important thing is if we can improve and keep getting better during training. That will ensure we are at our best level," said the man who previously coached Madura United.

Jordi, a player who once represented the Indonesian national team, performed exceptionally well in his debut. He was able to effectively limit transitional threats alongside Rizky. According to Jordi, he and the entire squad are very prepared to navigate the season as they have been working very hard over the past month.

The victory over Persita will serve as a very positive asset for Persija. They can build optimism from this result and impressive performance. "Macan Kemayoran" is reluctant to repeat last season's achievement, when they could only finish in seventh place.