Neat play was the key to Semen Padang FC's victory over Dewa United.

PADANG, KOMPAS — Semen Padang FC ended their poor record from last season by silencing Dewa United with a score of 2-0 in the second week of the BRI Super League 2025-2026 at Haji Agus Salim Stadium, Padang City, West Sumatra. A well-organized gameplay was the key to the home team's victory in this match.

In the match on Friday (15/8/2025) afternoon, two goals from Semen Padang were scored at the end of the game. Attacking midfielder Filipe Chaby scored from a free kick in the 90+3 minute, while forward Bruno Gomes scored during a counter-attack in the 90+7 minute.

"We achieved our target, winning our first home match. This victory serves as a lesson for the next match. The league season is still long, and we must continue to work hard," said Semen Padang FC midfielder Rosad Setiawan after the match on Friday.

Overall, Semen Padang put in a solid performance against Dewa. Ileague.id noted that the home team did lose possession, with 34 percent to 66 percent. However, the team nicknamed "Kabau Sirah" responded well to Dewa's dominance.

Semen Padang's back and midfield displayed a neat performance in quelling the opposition's attacks, particularly midfielder Alhassan Wakaso, who was named man of the match. Only one of Dewa's ten shots was on target. Conversely, Semen Padang, using a counter-attacking style, managed six of their 13 shots on target.

Semen Padang FC coach Eduardo Almeida stated that he has studied the playing style of Dewa. The club, which has recently changed its name to Dewa United Banten FC, possesses quality and strength when approaching the penalty area. "Therefore, I encourage my team to stay away from the penalty area," he said.

Semen Padang's neat organization, patience, and fighting spirit paid off in injury time. Chaby, coming off the bench, perfectly executed a free kick into the top left corner of the net, leaving goalkeeper Sonny Stevens watching.

In the second goal scored by Gomes, Almeida's team was able to exploit Dewa United's weaknesses in playing without the ball. The visiting team appeared to struggle during the transition from attacking to defending.

Without escort, Gomes ran forward to receive a through pass from winger Ferdiansyah Cecep. The Brazilian striker faced a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper and unleashed a powerful shot to the right side of Dewa's goal.

"We know that is their (Dewa's) weakness. They conceded (during the transition moment) against Malut (United FC last week). Today, we also scored from a transition moment. We took advantage of that," said Almeida, the coach from Portugal.

Meanwhile, Dewa United Banten FC coach Jan Olde Riekerink admitted that his team indeed struggled to break down the defense of Semen Padang. The performance of the pride of "urang awak" is vastly different compared to last season when Dewa won decisively with scores of 1-8 and 6-0.

"The match is different compared to last season. Last year, we were the dark horse, and Padang gave us a lot of space. Today is different; the opponent has adapted to our style of play. These two consecutive losses are far from our expectations," said Riekerink.

Last week, Dewa also lost 1-3 at home against Malut United FC.

Riekerink explained that Semen Padang defended well and appeared more organized, particularly in the final third of the field. The attacking trio of Alex Martins, Egy Maulana Vikri, and Taisei Marukawa struggled to break through the goal.

"We have several players who can create, but they did not give us opportunities. Often, those players can create something from difficult situations, but not today," he said.

According to Riekerink, to secure the winning goal, he substituted forward Rafael Struick for midfielder Ricky Kambuaya in the 84th minute. Instead of scoring, his team conceded a goal from a free kick taken by Chaby.

"In the final four minutes, there was only one option to get to 1-1: attack. If we were losing 1-0 or 2-0 at that point, we didn't care. It could have happened," he said.

The result of this match brought Semen Padang up to 8th place in the temporary standings of the BRI Super League, with a total of three points from one win and one loss. Meanwhile, Dewa United is in 17th place out of 18 teams with zero points from two losses. They are currently in the relegation zone.