Persija Jakarta successfully kept their hopes of qualifying for the semifinals of the 2026 President's Cup alive after clinching a convincing 4-1 victory over PSMS Medan in their final Group B match. This crucial match took place at the Gelora Bung Tomo (GBT) Stadium in Surabaya on Saturday (1/8/2026) afternoon WIB.
From the opening whistle, the squad nicknamed the Kemayoran Tigers immediately took the initiative to attack. Persija's dominance paid off in the 22nd minute through the opening goal scored by Arlyansyah Abdulmanan. Leading 1-0 in the first half, Persija was briefly stunned by an equalizer from PSMS Medan player Ichsan Chan in the 58th minute, bringing the score to 1-1.
Responding to the equalizer, Persija massively increased their attacking intensity heading into the final ten minutes of regular time. Victor Dethan broke the deadlock in the 80th minute to restore the capital team's lead. Not long after, Agi Firmansyah widened the gap in the 84th minute, before Gustavo Almeida finally sealed the 4-1 victory with a final goal in the 88th minute.
The additional three points bring Persija's total to four points from three matches with a +2 goal difference, temporarily placing them in second position in the Group B standings. Conversely, this heavy defeat further sinks PSMS Medan to the bottom of the table without a single point.
Despite currently occupying the runner-up position, the semifinal ticket for the Kemayoran Tigers is not yet fully secure. Their fate now depends on the outcome of the final Group B match between Persebaya Surabaya and Thailand's representative, Port FC. Persija is guaranteed to advance to the final four if Persebaya manages to hold Port FC to a draw or defeat them, given Persija's current goal difference advantage.
