Bali United could only secure a draw when they hosted Borneo FC Samarinda in the first leg of the 2023/24 Liga 1 Indonesia third-place playoff at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, on Saturday night.
In this match, both teams played to a goalless draw. The Serdadu Tridatu had to play with 10 men after Eber Bessa received a VAR-enforced red card in the 60th minute.
This result is certainly a positive one for Borneo as they prepare for May 30th's second leg at the Batakan Stadium in Balikpapan.
The match started with a fast pace from the very beginning, with both teams exchanging attacks.
Several chances were created. One of them was a shot by I Kadek Agung Widnyana, who received a pass from Ilija Spasojevic, but the ball was well-saved by Borneo goalkeeper Angga Saputro.
Eber also posed a threat with his free kick, but the ball went wide to the right of the goal.
Borneo had their chances as well. A cross from Terens Puhiri almost resulted in an own goal by Jajang Mulyana. Fortunately for Bali United, the ball went wide of the goal.
As time ran out, both teams failed to score in the first half.
In the second half, the match continued to be intense. Both teams maintained their attacking play.
Unfortunately, Bali United had to play with 10 men after Eber was shown a red card in the 60th minute.
With a numerical advantage, Borneo tried to dominate the game. However, the Bali United players remained solid in defending their goal.
The match was interrupted towards the end by flares lit by the Bali United supporters, which caused a blanket of smoke to cover the pitch. This led to a 10-minute-long postponement, which led to a lengthy injury time. But despite these turns of events, the score remained goalless for both teams.
Continue reading Bali United, Borneo Play Out Stalemate at Football Tribe Asia.
