Persib Bandung secured their place in the final of the 2023/24 Liga 1 Indonesia after a 3-0 victory (4-1 on aggregate) over Bali United in the second leg of the semifinal held at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium on Saturday, May 18th.
Two of Persib's three goals in this match were scored in the first half with Ciro Alves' header in the 31st minute and Febri Hariyadi's goal in the 39th minute. The Maung Bandung's third goal came in the second half, scored by Edo Febriansyah in the 70th minute.
The two-goal lead in the first half allowed Persib to start the second half confidently and comfortably. Just five minutes after coming out of the locker room, Stefano Beltrame managed to escape his marker, but his effort did not result in a goal. Instead, it led to Adilson Maringa being substituted due to a collision with his teammate. The Brazilian Bali United goalkeeper was replaced by former Madura United custodian Muhammad Ridho.
Persib head coach Bojan Hodak appeared to seek a refresh in his midfield, bringing on Rachmat Irianto for Dedi Kusnandar in the 56th minute.
The electronic scoreboard at Si Jalak Harupat eventually displayed a 3-0 scoreline for Persib in the 70th minute when Edo found the net. Credit is due to David da Silva, who outwitted the goalkeeper, leaving Edo unmarked in front of an open goal.
Three minutes before the end of regular time, Bali United scored through Ilija Spasojevic. However, the goal was not only annulled by the linesman but also disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team, preserving Persib's sizeable advantage
Hodak made several substitutions towards the end of the match as Persibcontinued to attack. Nonetheless, the score remained 3-0 until the final whistle. Persib won the match and advanced to the final with a 4-1 aggregate victory.
