Persib Bandung have crowned themselves champions after defeating Madura United 3-1 in the second leg of the 2023/24 Liga 1 final at the Gelora Bangkalan Stadium on Friday.
Goals from David da Silva, Marc Klok, and Beckham Putra in the second half set Persib to their maiden Liga 1 title and their 8th overall Indonesian top-flight triumph. Madura United's consolation goal came from a penalty by veteran midfielder Slamet Nurcahyono in injury time.
Madura United tried to take the initiative to attack from the start, needing multiple goals to overcome their first-leg defeat against Persib - having trailed 3-0. The sizeable win meant that the Maung Bandung only needed a draw to win their first league title since 2014.
However, Bojan Hodak's squad chose not to play defensively. Ciro Alves and his teammates displayed an attacking game and applied high pressing to restrict the home team's ability to build attacks.
Despite Madura United's dominance in ball possession, Persib posed more serious threats. However, both teams failed to score by the end of the first half.
Entering the second half, Persib launched an immediate offensive. Continuous attacks from the Maung Bandung often overwhelmed Madura United's defense.
As a result, David broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. The Brazilian striker successfully followed up a rebound in the penalty area from Ciro's shot.
Madura United nearly equalized in the 70th minute with a close-range shot by Malik Risaldi. Unfortunately, his shot was blocked by Persib goalkeeper Kevin Ray Mendoza, who performed excellently.
Madura United's hopes for a miracle dwindled as Persib scored two additional goals in the final minutes through captain Klok (86th minute) and Beckham Putra (second minute of injury time), effectively guaranteeing that the Liga 1 title will be heading to Bandung.
