Madura United secured their place in the final of the 2023/24 Liga 1 Indonesia by defeating regular season champions Borneo FC Samarinda with a score of 3-2 on May 19th. With this victory, Madura United advanced with an aggregate score of 4-2, having beaten the Pesut Etam 1-0 in the first leg back in May 15th.
The winning goals for Madura United were scored by Dalberto and two goals from Malik Risaldi. Meanwhile, Borneo managed to narrow the gap with goals from Alfharezzi Buffon and Felipe Cadenazzi.
The match at Batakan Stadium in Balikpapan was intense and fiercely contested, with the hosts starting aggresively and opening the scoring in the 12th minute. Buffon put the home team ahead by heading in a cross from Leo Guntara, making it 1-0 for Borneo.
Trailing behind, Madura United increased their attacking efforts. Seven minutes later, Dalberto equalized to 1-1 after converting a pass from Francisco Rivera.
The game became even more intense as Borneo fought hard, knowing they were now behind 2-1 on aggregate.
In the 40th minute, VAR reviewed a foul by Cleberson on Felipe Cadenazzi. After a three-minute review, the referee awarded a penalty, which Cadenazzi successfully converted, giving Borneo a 2-1 lead at halftime.
During the break, Madura United made two substitutions: Dodi Alexvan and Riyatno Abiyoso were replaced by Riski Afrisal and Novan Sasongko.
Entering the second half, Borneo maintained their offensive pressure. However, in the 57th minute, their defense was breached. Malik Risaldi, receiving a sweet pass from Rivera, broke the offside trap and scored, leveling the game at 2-2.
Following this goal, Madura United grew more confident and began to dominate the match.
Indeed, in the 66th minute, a combination between Rivera and Risaldi once again found the back of Borneo's goal, changing the score to 2-3 in favor of Madura United.
Facing a deficit, Borneo intensified their attacks. They continued to press hard, forcing Madura United to defend tightly.
Despite their relentless pressure, the score remained 2-3 until the end, allowing Madura United to advance to the final with a 4-2 aggregate victory.
