Jayapura : Persipura Jayapura ended Kuwait Sports Club's defence of
their AFC Cup title in emphatic fashion on Tuesday as Robertino
Pugliara's hat-trick helped the Indonesia champions to a sensational 6-1
victory at Mandala Stadium in the second leg of their quarter-final
tie.
Trailing 3-2 from the first leg, the home side made an excellent
start as Pugliara fired them ahead with a spectacular scissor kick after
just 80 seconds and the Argentinian added his second in first-half
stoppage-time to make it 3-0, shortly after captain Boaz Solossa had
scored from long range.
Titus Bonai extended the home side's lead seven minutes into the
second half and although Reza Ghoochannejhad pulled a goal back for the
visitors in the 65th minute, Pugliara completed his hat-trick a minute
later before substitute Ferinando Pahabol found the net in stoppage time
to complete a stunning 8-4 aggregate victory for Persipura, who became
the first Indonesian side to reach the AFC Cup semi-finals.
Having ended Kuwait SC's hopes of winning a third consecutive AFC Cup
title and a fourth overall, they will now meet either Bahrain's Al Hidd
or 2013 runners-up Qadsia SC of Kuwait in the last four.
Persipura had conceded two late goals to lose 3-2 in the first leg
but the Indonesian side made the best start possible on a hot afternoon
at the Mandala Stadium as Pugliara netted his first AFC Cup in
spectacular fashion in just the second minute. A deep corner from the
right was not properly dealt with by the Kuwait SC defence and Bio
Paulin knocked the ball down for the Argentinian, who hooked it into the
net with a well-executed scissor kick.
