Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

Arema FC secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Persita Tangerang during the 12th week of Liga 1 2024/2025 at the Gelora Soepriadi Stadium in Blitar on Tuesday (December 3).

As the home team, Arema immediately sought opportunities to attack, led by William Moreira’s impressive playmaking. However, Persita’s defense demonstrated excellent tactical awareness, preventing smooth ball movement into their territory.

The tightly organized backline of Persita forced Arema to continually seek alternative strategies. A series of long crosses from William Moreira often found their way into the penalty area, yet Dalberto, as the main striker, struggled to convert these chances into goals.

Similarly, set pieces from corner kicks proved challenging for Arema. While Persita adeptly tracked opposing movements, their players cleverly exploited gaps in one-on-one situations, resulting in numerous blocked opportunities for Arema.

However, just before halftime during injury time, William Moreira capitalized on a defensive error from Persita, who lost possession of the ball. Moreira surged down the right flank and delivered a deft chip pass into the box.

Dedik Setiawan was quick to react, seizing the opportunity to finish and putting Arema ahead 1-0 at the end of the first half.

In the second half, it was Persita that initially took the offensive. Arema, on the other hand, opted for a more defensive posture.

Indeed, Persita’s aggressive push became their undoing when their attack faltered in the opposition’s half. Arema swiftly launched a counterattack, sending the ball directly to Dalberto’s feet.

Dalberto skillfully maintained possession and unleashed a precise shot towards the goal, extending Arema’s lead to 2-0.

Almost adding to his tally in the 70th minute, Dalberto had a goal disallowed by VAR for being offside prior to scoring.

In the dying moments of the match, Arema capped off their victory with a third goal. Charles Lokolingoy found the net in the 90+6 minute, taking advantage of an assist from the right flank.

This win propelled Arema closer to the top of the standings, as they now sit on 21 points, matching the total of third-placed Persija Jakarta.

Next up, Arema will face off against their arch-rivals Persebaya Surabaya in a highly anticipated East Java derby on Saturday (December 7). Both teams are currently riding positive momentum.

[Gambas:Video CNN]

(ikw/jun)