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Sportskeeda profiles Indonesia’s Semen Padang, one of Churchill Brothers’ Group E opponents in this year’s AFC Cup.
History
Founded in 1980, Semen Padang won the inaugural season of the newly launched Indonesian Premier League last year. Padang are owned by one of the oldest cement companies in Indonesia and this will be their first appearance in the AFC Cup. They last played in a continental tournament two decades ago when they took part in the old AFC Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1993-94 season and reached the quarter-finals. Padang’s home stadium Haji Agus Salim Stadium has a capacity of 15,000 while their official Facebook page has more than 77,000 likes.
Current Team
The inaugural season of the Indonesian Premier League had 12 teams and Padang convincingly won the title to qualify for the AFC Cup. They narrowly missed out on a double as they lost the cup final to Persibo Bojonegoro. This season, there are 16 clubs in Indonesia’s domestic league and Padang have made the perfect start as they defeated Pro Data 2-0 in their opening game last week. Four Padang players were part of Indonesia’s last international match squad while they have retained all four of their foreigners from last season. David Pagbe is a Cameroonian central defender, Yoo Hyun-Goo is their South Korean midfielder while they also have an Argentinean midfielder in Esteban Vizcarra and Edward Junior Wilson is a Liberian international striker.
Key Players
Wahyu Wijiastanto
The 26-year-old center back is in his second season at Padang and recently captained the national team against Iran in an Asian Cup qualifier. The 6 feet 4 inches tall defender has developed into an indispensable player for club and country.
Elie Aiboy
The 33-year-old right winger has nearly 50 caps for Indonesia and was the skipper at the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup. Aiboy has plenty of flair and trickery and his experience will be vital for Padang’s maiden AFC Cup campaign.
Edward Junior Wilson
The Liberian striker has been at the club since 2008 but last season has been his best campaign for Padang so far as he finished as the second highest scorer in the domestic league with 13 goals. He will be aiming to be equally prolific at the Asian level also.
