Persib Bandung once again demonstrated their quality on the Asian stage after beating Melbourne Victory 2-0 in the third Group E fixture of the AFC Champions League Two (ACL Two) 2026/2027, held at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung Regency on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
However, this impressive run from Maung Bandung has instead raised questions over their lack of consistency in domestic competitions.
Football Analyst Ronny Pangemanan, commonly known as Bung Ropan, rated Persib's performance against the Australian side as excellent. He observed effective ball circulation between players, clearly improved distribution from Thom Haye, and far more convincing structured play under Igor Tolic's coaching.
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"Persib played really well. Their ball movement was solid, Thom Haye was delivering effective long crosses. I can't help but question if Persib are deliberately prioritising this ACL Two campaign right now," stated Ropan during discussion on the ITSMe podcast.
This concern emerged due to the stark contrast between Persib's form in Asian competition and their showings in the domestic Super League. In the national league, Persib have continued to struggle with inconsistency, including a defeat against Madura United and a drawn match versus Dewa United.
By comparison, Persib have taken maximum points from all three of their Group E ACL Two matches. Following 1-0 wins against FC Seoul and The Cong-Viettel FC, they shut out Melbourne Victory 2-0. This means Maung Bandung have now scored four total goals while yet to concede a single goal in the tournament.
For Ropan, this record confirms that Persib are fully capable of playing with high discipline when competing against clubs from established, high-level Football nations.
The 3-5-2 Formation and Igor Tolic's Measured Approach
Football Analyst Kesit Budi Handoyo also highlighted Igor Tolic's call to deploy a 3-5-2 formation. This tactic was notable, as Persib had almost exclusively used either a three-forward system or standard four-defender lineups prior to this match.
Persib avoided reckless, rushed forward attacks. They played cautiously through the first half, reading the opposition's game patterns while maintaining solid balance across all lines. After the half time break, they shifted into much more effective attacking play, successfully converting created chances into goals.
The decision to start Adam Alis was also judged as a well-judged call. Alongside Gakuto Notsuda, he successfully neutralised Melbourne Victory's midfield movement, cutting off clean supply lines to the visiting side's forwards.
At the back, Persib maintained strict defensive discipline covering their zones and marking opposition players. Goalkeeper Fitrah Maulana also delivered a strong performance to preserve the clean sheet.
Balsa Sekulic Proves The Difference Maker
Starting Balsa Sekulic also proved to be a highly effective tactical choice. The Montenegrin striker scored both goals for Persib, finding the net in the 47th and 67th minutes respectively. Meanwhile, established quality forward Mariano Peralta was kept as an impact option from the substitutes bench.
Persib also hold additional attacking depth options to boost their offensive threat, including Luka Menalo, Ragnar Oratmangoen and Beckham Putra.
Despite this strong run, Ropan warned that the next challenge will not be straightforward. Persib will travel to face Melbourne Victory again on Australian soil on 4 November 2026, with the home side expected to come out aggressively seeking redemption after their defeat in Bandung.
"Every single club in the domestic league treats beating Persib as a major honour, that is why every side raises their game when facing us", was one of the key points outlined during the discussion.
Ropan stressed that Persib must retain this same level of discipline, calm control and clinical effectiveness that they showed against Melbourne Victory. Securing any points from the away fixture in Australia will drastically improve Maung Bandung's chances of locking in qualification to the Round of 16 of ACL Two.
This analysis was recorded for the ITSMe podcast in Sentul, Bogor on 29 October 2026, featuring guest analysts Ronny Pangemanan and Kesit Budi Handoyo, hosted by Gilang Respaty and Pudila.
