Author name: Anatolii Kalugin

As my plane landed in CGK, I didn’t know what to expect from this away day. Having been advised by 10 different people to stay safe and try not to die, I was very curious, to say the least. After experiencing the miracle of Chinese engineering, the KCIC high-speed train, I arrived in Bandung in just 30 minutes. Driving through flooded streets of this somewhat rundown city during a thunderstorm made me feel a bit of melancholy. But the game wasn’t going to watch itself, and I found my way to the stadium within hours. I alighted in the middle of a carpark already swarming with Persib fans 2 hours before the game. Heading to the security check – an extremely lazy pat down – it wasn’t the most reassuring thing. When I finally made my way to the stands, thousands of Bobotoh were already in their seats, chanting and waving their flags long before the starting whistle. Kickoff The match begins. Immediately LCS plays a compact defence with sporadic attacking attempts from the flanks. Both teams had several set pieces early on and you could hardly imagine the pressure they were experiencing from the stands. Sturdy defending from the Sailors throughout the first half, with a couple of good 1v2 saves. But the opponent kept pressing high and having the initiative. Similar tactics we have already seen before – employed last season when LCS played against stronger opponents in the international competitions. You could say it’s a controlled burning – draining the rival and capitalising on counterattacks. However, I didn’t think we would play like this against Persib. This tactical setup was not the only thing I had doubts on. Ivan Sušak and Anderson Lopes were included in the starting XI. I am sure Ivan is a great goalkeeper; but there were doubts if he can regain his confidence after a shaky start to his Sailors journey. I was glad to see that he regained at least some of it, judging from his performance in the first half. As for Anderson, being an expensive signing and having a strong resume, he surely will be under pressure. He hasn’t delivered thus far. The Persib game was a great opportunity to silence the doubters, including myself. He got the ball a lot, made some decent runs but whenever he got into a duel, he tended to fall to the ground hoping to earn a foul. Was it a lack of desire? Is it his age? Maybe he still wasn’t used to the team and the climate? Whatever it is, in entire first half his play just seemed like it lacked something just as it was in the previous games. After the first 15 minutes we still sat in our own third and I was getting worried. LCS have already conceded a couple of close calls, while being generally unsuccessful in their attacking attempts. Diogo was once again the main engine behind our transitions from defence into offence and making several great tackles near our box. A counterattack and Maxime has the ball. Seems like he’s got a clear shot from his favourite angle but instead he passes to Anderson and… the ball is lost. At some point it seemed like the attacking game was forced to go through Lopes although I was not sure about the reasoning behind that. Maybe time will tell if this all comes together. After some solid defensive performance, the opponent finally is getting tired and allowed us more possession of the ball. Again, most of the plays went through Anderson but instead of dribbling or passing he chooses to dive. After several attempts at this, it was clear that the ref doesn’t reward this kind of behaviour. The game calms down by the end of the first half. The Mistake The second half starts and… we concede. A defensive mistake and we are behind. The momentum from the first half was lost, due to the lack of concentration. Now Persib falls back, and the initiative is fully on LCS. The game becomes much more open. Persib is going through the substitutions fast. As for us, surely, after underperforming the entire game Anderson had to be subbed off, right? No. Bringing Lenny on to pair up with Lopes and switching from 5-at-the-back to 4-4-2 helped LCS create a lot more chances. Still, no goals from our side. 80 minutes in and just 1 substitution. I started to get flashbacks to last season’s ACL Two final where all the subs happened too late. Chris and Shawal finally come into the game – the ultimate attacking lineup is now on the pitch. At The Death Stoppage time. The pressing from us is never-ending. Battling in the opponent’s box. Lenny jumps and… a brilliant header. The fans around me jump from their seats and nearly break down the railing. I am trying to keep a straight face not to end up in the railing. But the game is not over yet. The Sailors have another chance to score and grab the 3 points but it is saved, a quick counterattack by Persib, a cross, a jump, a header… and what a save by Ivan. Now I know, he’s truly back. Final whistle. Disappointed home crowd scolding their team. Time to get away from the stadium. Conclusion Half a box of Decolgen and a mediocre late-night room service later, I’m heading back to Singapore, generally content with this trip. Our defensive game is becoming better. Tsiy keeps proving to be crucial to the team (and potentially the best signing of this summer). Lenny continues to deliver. Should he be our starter instead of Anderson? Or is he better off being a super-sub? I guess, we’ll see from the upcoming games. (Editor’s Note: Anderson scored a brace against TPU!) As for Bandung and Persib, I commend their fans’ determination and love for their club. And, thankfully, we’ll spot fewer of their keyboard warriors in our comment sections At least for now.