Persija Jakarta secured a commanding 5-1 victory over Arema FC at Stadion Patriot Candrabhaga in Bekasi on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, bouncing back from their first defeat of the Super League season. The win propelled the capital club back to the summit of the standings with 15 points after six matches.
Alexander Jeremejeff leads a dominant first-half display
The hosts wasted little time establishing control in front of 22,269 spectators, who filled roughly 72% of the stadium capacity as recorded by official league data. Swedish striker Alexander Jeremejeff opened the scoring in the 10th minute before doubling his tally right before halftime in the 45th minute. Those two strikes brought Jeremejeff’s season total to six goals in six matches, cementing his status as the league’s top scorer. Official match statistics show Persija generated 19 total shots with 8 on target, overwhelming an Arema side that struggled to contain the early pressure.
Tactical adjustments pay off after the Persita setback
Head coach Shin Tae-yong pointed directly to his team’s previous outing as the catalyst for the five-goal performance. Just days earlier, Macan Kemayoran suffered a 2-3 loss to Persita Tangerang, marking their maiden defeat after four consecutive opening wins. According to the coach, that result prompted rigorous self-evaluation among the squad.
“Today’s victory is thanks to all the players who did not give up and worked hard. The match against Tangerang last time also gave us many lessons,” Shin said after the final whistle. The tactical shift involved implementing an aggressive press right from the front line, which disrupted Arema’s build-up play and forced constant turnovers in dangerous areas.
Second-half goals seal the comfortable margin
Any hopes of an Arema comeback were systematically dismantled after the break. Stjepan Loncar extended the lead to 3-1 in the 76th minute, followed quickly by Victor Dethan scoring the team’s fourth in the 80th minute. Gabriel Silva managed a lone reply for Singo Edan in the 87th minute, but substitute Ivan Mamut capped the scoring in stoppage time with a finish in the 90+2nd minute.
The defeat leaves Arema mired in a difficult stretch, having now gone four consecutive league matches without a victory while conceding nine goals across their last five fixtures.
Persija climbs to top with next match against Persik Kediri
The three points lifted Persija back to the top of the Super League table with 15 points, edging past Dewa United Banten FC, who had briefly claimed the lead with 14 points following a 2-0 win over Persijap a day earlier.
Looking ahead, Rizky Ridho and his teammates turn their attention immediately to their next test. Persija will host Persik Kediri at Stadion Patriot Candrabhaga on Monday, October 26, 2026, with kickoff scheduled for 19:00 local time.
Persija fined and banned for crowd trouble
Following fan disturbances during the match against Persita Tangerang at Banten International Stadium, I.League announced sanctions on Wednesday. Persija was hit with a Rp30 million fine for the crowd trouble and an additional Rp60 million fine for infractions involving dangerous items such as flares in the stands. The Jakmania were barred from attending away matches in the Super League for half a season. Commenting on the penalties, Shin Tae-yong stated, If you do things that must not be done, well, the ones who suffer are not other teams, but the club itself and the players, including the fans as well. So hopefully such bad incidents will not happen again.
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