In this match, Persija coach Mauricio Souza immediately included two new players in the squad, after Alaaeddine Ajaraie and Fajar Fathurrahman were on the bench.
Paulo Ricardo and this afternoon's newly announced player, Shayne Pattynama, were not included in the squad. Shayne was seen watching the match in the VIP stands at the GBK Stadium with Indonesian national team coach John Herdman.
The Kemayoran Tigers struggled to break down Madura's tight defense early in the match. Their only real chance came from Witan Sulaeman in the 28th minute, when he broke free down the left flank. However, his right-footed shot was weak, allowing the visiting goalkeeper, Mochammad Indrayana, to easily save it.
Witan's chance signaled Persija had found a gap in Madura's defense. In the 30th minute, Allano unleashed a left-footed shot, but it went over.
Two minutes later, Maxwell unleashed a powerful, low shot with his right foot. Unfortunately, the Brazilian's shot was saved by Indrayana.
