Persib and Persebaya Defeat Malaysian Clubs, Securing Preparation Capital Ahead of the New Season.

Persib Bandung and Persebaya Surabaya both secured victories over Malaysian clubs in their pre-season friendly matches. Persib dominated with a 3-0 win over Sabah FC, while Persebaya defeated Penang FC by a score of 1-0.

These two results serve as positive preparation capital for both Persib and Persebaya ahead of the 2026/2027 competitive season. Both clubs also used these matches to assess squad readiness and test various gameplay combinations.

Persib Secures Convincing Win Over Sabah FC

Persib faced Sabah FC in the 2026 Dewata Challenge Series pre-season tournament, held at Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar on Saturday evening WIB.

The Blue Prince took the lead via a penalty kick in the 25th minute. Mariano Peralta was brought down inside the penalty box by Sabah FC defender Kike Lopez, resulting in the referee pointing to the spot.

Peralta stepped up as the penalty taker and wrong-footed goalkeeper Juan Flere. Persib held a 1-0 lead going into the half-time break.

Entering the second half, Luca Menalo doubled Persib's advantage in the 75th minute.

Maung Bandung then sealed the victory in the 88th minute through Beckham Putra. Receiving a through pass on the right flank, Beckham unleashed a low driven shot that the Sabah goalkeeper could not stop.

This 3-0 scoreline for Igor Tolic's squad remained until the match concluded.

Persebaya Claims Narrow Win Over Penang FC

Meanwhile in Surabaya, Persebaya also recorded a win in their International Friendly Match against Penang FC, hosted at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium on the same Saturday evening.

Bajul Ijo played aggressively from the start of the match but failed to convert their early chances. In the 25th minute, it was Penang who created a threat, with Muhammad Shahrel Fikri's shot being denied by Ernando Ari.

Persebaya created an opportunity in the 36th minute when Rachmat Irianto headed Diogo Ramalho's corner delivery, but his attempt flew just over the crossbar. The score remained 0-0 at half time.

In the second half, Bernardo Tavares made major squad rotations, substituting almost the entire starting line-up.

Persebaya created another chance in the 59th minute as Miguel Pereira received a pass from Yuran Fernandes, however his attempt was safely collected by the Penang FC goalkeeper.

Three minutes later, Penang launched another threatening attack that was denied once again, this time by Reza Arya who had replaced Ernando Ari in goal.

The long-awaited goal for Persebaya finally arrived in the 79th minute. Francisco Rivera's corner was first headed on by Yuran Fernandes, before Welber Mota connected with an acrobatic finish to put Persebaya 1-0 ahead.

This 1-0 scoreline held until the final whistle.