Persija Jakarta and Arema met in the third runner stage of the President's Cup on 2026-08-06, with the hosts claiming a 3:1 victory. Both sides arrived level on points in the standings, each sitting second after three games, so the result shifted the balance considerably. The match unfolded with moments that mattered rather than a procession of events.
Witan opened the scoring in the sixth minute, a sharp finish that set the tone. By then Arema were already feeling the pressure, and in the thirteenth minute B. Setiawan collected a yellow card for a challenge that tightened things up. The hosts kept their heads after that setback.
S. Tuharea doubled the lead in the twenty-seventh minute, and by then the match had settled into a rhythm. A. Firmansyah came on for the hosts at forty-six minutes, and soon after B. Setiawan was substituted away. There was a VAR review at forty minutes involving MV, but no goal was awarded.
Arema pulled one back through A. Abdulmanan in the seventy-second minute, and for a moment they thought they could spring a surprise. F. Dennis came on at fifty-eight minutes while Matheus Blade joined the fray at sixty-three. R. Fahmi had been booked at fifty-six, and J. Guevara followed at sixty-five.
V. Dethan restored the two-goal cushion in the eighty-sixth minute, and Arema could not find a way back. R. Eksel was brought on at sixty-eight minutes, and L. Guntara appeared at eighty. A late VAR cancellation at 90+6 minutes added to the drama, though no goal materialised.
The hosts finish with four points from three games, one win, one draw and one defeat. Arema sit on six points with two victories and a single loss. The result means Persija move ahead in the standings while Arema have hit a wall in their push for the top spot.