Persebaya Surabaya vs PSIS Semarang

Bernardo Tavares handed debuts to five new signings in his starting XI: Dicky Kurniawan, Ricky Pratama, Miguel Pereira, Yuran Fernandes and Brazilian striker Alex Martins. Persebaya dominated the opening half-hour, with Dicky Kurniawan striking the crossbar and Francisco Rivera forcing a save from PSIS goalkeeper Rizky Darmawan.

Tavares made a double change on 32 minutes, withdrawing Dicky Kurniawan and Ricky Pratama for Yann Mabella and M. Ichas — an early tactical reshuffle that paid immediate dividends.

The breakthrough came from a set piece in the 35th minute. Francisco Rivera's corner delivery found Alex Martins, who rose unmarked at the near post to head Persebaya into the lead. It was the ideal debut marker for the Brazilian striker.

HT: Persebaya Surabaya 1–0 PSIS Semarang

Persebaya doubled their advantage eight minutes into the second half. Yann Mabella capitalised on a defensive misjudgement from the PSIS backline, racing through to slot past Rizky Darmawan and make it 2-0.

PSIS responded through a moment of chaos in the Persebaya box. Reza Arya produced two sharp saves to deny Lorensius Sabda, but the ball fell back to the PSIS forward on the third attempt and he finally found the net to reduce the deficit to 2-1 on 74 minutes.

Sabda completed his brace with six minutes remaining. A swift counter-attack caught Persebaya stretched, and Sabda applied a composed finish to level the scores at 2-2.

Francisco Rivera nearly won it for Persebaya in the 88th minute, but his run was halted by a foul from Akbar Arjunsyah. Risto Mitrevski's free-kick was saved by the PSIS goalkeeper, and the match ended all square.

Persebaya's failure to kill the game when they were 2-0 up allowed PSIS to believe. The hosts created several chances — Miguel Pereira teed up Ramadan Sananta who failed to connect, and Pereira himself had a shot cleared off the line — but the lack of a third goal proved costly. Once Sabda pulled one back, the momentum shifted entirely, and PSIS's equaliser felt inevitable.

Lorensius Sabda (PSIS Semarang) — A brace from the PSIS forward rescued a point for the visitors. His persistence after two initial saves from Reza Arya showed composure, and his second was a clinical counter-attacking finish. Clear candidate for player of the match.

Alex Martins (Persebaya Surabaya) — Scored on his debut with a well-timed near-post header from a corner. The Brazilian striker looked sharp in the first half and linked well with Francisco Rivera.

Yann Mabella (Persebaya Surabaya) — The second debutant to find the net, Mabella's goal came from intelligent movement to exploit a defensive error. Introduced after 32 minutes, he added energy to Persebaya's attack.

Reza Arya (Persebaya Surabaya) — Made two excellent saves to deny Sabda before the first goal went in. Could not be faulted for either goal; the second was a defensive breakdown rather than a goalkeeping error.

The match saw four goals from a combined 12 shots on target (per provider data), reflecting a reasonably open contest. Persebaya's dominance in the first half was clear — they created the better chances and led 1-0 at the break despite having made two early substitutions. PSIS grew into the game after the hour mark, and their two goals in the final 16 minutes came from their only sustained spells of pressure. The absence of any yellow or red cards underscored the friendly nature of the fixture, but the intensity — particularly in the closing stages — was competitive.

This was Persebaya's first pre-season friendly of the 2026/27 campaign, played as the centrepiece of their 99th anniversary celebrations. Tavares used the match to test combinations and evaluate his new signings, with five debutants in the XI. The result — a 2-2 draw after leading 2-0 — provides clear material for the coaching staff to address defensive concentration and game management before the Liga 1 season begins.

For PSIS Semarang, the comeback was a statement of resilience. Assistant coach Hamka Hamzah took charge with head coach Widodo C. Putro reportedly absent, and the fightback will encourage confidence in the squad's depth.

Persebaya's next pre-season fixture is yet to be confirmed. PSIS Semarang continue their preparations ahead of the 2026/27 Liga 1 campaign.

A pre-season friendly that told both sides what they needed to hear. Persebaya saw two new signings score and created enough chances to win comfortably, but conceded two soft goals that exposed defensive frailties. PSIS showed character to fight back from 2-0 down and will take momentum from the draw. The scoreline flattered the visitors, but the lesson hurt more for the home side.