The Story of Ikhwan Tanamal Guarding Persib’s Historic Victory in South Korea
Persib winger Ikhwan Tanamal made a sweet debut on the Asian stage. He shared that his debut in the AFC Champions League Two (ACL 2) was achieved through hard work, successfully maintaining Persib’s 0-1 lead until the final whistle.
In the match against FC Seoul on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Persib fought hard to secure the victory. Entering the pitch in the second half, Ikhwan Tanamal managed to stifle the opponents’ creativity, making it difficult for them to penetrate Maung Bandung’s defense.
“Alhamdulillah, my first debut resulted in our first three points in ACL 2. I am very proud and extremely happy. Hopefully, this serves as a good learning experience so I can keep improving and help Persib on the Asian stage moving forward,” Ikhwan opened.
This victory not only made his debut memorable, but also broke the poor record of Indonesian teams playing away at South Korean clubs’ home grounds. Persib became the first team to defeat a South Korean side on their home turf.
When making his debut, Ikhwan Tanamal admitted to feeling a bit nervous when Igor Tolic asked him to come on as a substitute for Julio Cesar. He was convinced that the sector he was covering would be continuously targeted by FC Seoul. However, that awkwardness gradually faded as the match went on.
“At first, I was a bit nervous when I found out we were playing Seoul, Korea. But once on the pitch, it just felt normal. Hopefully, this debut serves as motivation and helps me grow in the future,” he said.
When asked about how he felt when Igor Tolic called him up from the substitute bench, he admitted he was quite surprised. However, he felt that every challenge must be faced, and he had prepared everything to give his best in the remaining time of the match.
“When I was called up, I was ready. Ready, deeply ready. A thousand percent ready,” he concluded.
