The Loyola Meralco Sparks yielded a 1-nil result to Arema Malang to drop its debut match in the 2013 Menpora Cup, an invitational tournament in Indonesia, on Saturday night at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java.
Arema, one of the most popular clubs in Indonesia that boasts a mix of naturalized members of the Indonesia national team, proved to be too much for Loyola as Brazilian striker Alberto Goncalves scored at the 21st minute to give his team the lead.
While the Sparks held 56 percent of the match’s possession, they failed to convert any of their seven shots, only two of which was on target.
Loyola will have a chance to bounce back when it takes on local clubs Mitra Kukar FC on Monday and Persepam Madura United on Wednesday to complete their matches in the Malang Group.
The 2013 Menpora Cup is an invitational club tournament pitting local clubs in Indonesia against some international teams. This marks the second time for Loyola to play in an international competition after bowing out of the Singapore Cup quarterfinals last July.
Also playing in the other group of the tournament, the Bandung Group, are defending Australian League champion Central Coast Mariners, reigning Southeast Asian Games champion Malaysia Under-23 football team, domestic sides Persib Bandung, one of the most successful clubs in Indonesian history, and Sriwijaya FC, 2012 champion of the Indonesia Super League.
source: interaksyon.com