Madura United's Explosive Start: From Near Relegation to Three Straight Wins

In the 58th minute at Gelora Ratu Pamelingan Stadium, Madura United were still trailing PSIM Yogyakarta 1-0. Moments earlier, Nermin Haljeta had silenced the entire stand. But then Jorge Mendonça equalized, and Gali Freitas sealed a 2-1 comeback victory. The team that nearly got relegated last season now has 9 perfect points after 3 rounds of the 2026/27 BRI Super League. The context makes this achievement far more significant than a casual glance suggests. Last season, Madura United struggled in the bottom group, and fans were used to waiting for every match like a gamble. Coach Jose Gomes arrived and began the rebuilding process. He did not announce a revival, did not promise titles. He quietly rearranged the squad, utilizing naturalized players and foreigners with ties to Portuguese football. Hugo Gomes was given the on-field leader role, Jorge Mendonça became the spearhead, and Dimitar Mitkov was expected to be the goal machine. Three matches have passed: Madura scored 7 goals and conceded only 2. But what catches my attention is not the numbers, but the distribution of goal scorers. Mendonça, Freitas, and Mitkov have all found the net. This is a genuinely positive signal, because the team does not depend on a single star. A team with only one known scorer will collapse when that scorer declines; a team with multiple scoring sources will survive long cycles. From the perspective of someone who has followed many Asian leagues, I recognize this as a sign of a system moving in the right direction: position is only the starting point; the system determines the destination. But we need to look closely at how Madura earned their wins. Against Persijap Jepara, they won 2-0; against PSS Sleman, 3-1; against PSIM, 2-1 after chasing the game. Two of three wins were by a single goal, one required a comeback. That reveals a tactical identity leaning toward counter-attacking and exploiting moments, rather than dominant ball control. I do not have xG or possession data from this source, so any conclusion about pressing or build-up is speculation. But the rhythm of the match shows Madura knows how to absorb pressure, then deliver the decisive blow. That is a quality of a experienced team, not a lucky one. The side story is also worth discussing: Joao Balotelli, the foreign striker, has gone 9 matches without a goal, and the management remains patient. This could be admirable tolerance, or a heavy contract that the club cannot easily terminate. The contrast between Mitkov shining and Balotelli staying silent creates a potential bottleneck. Football does not forgive prolonged waste. Media pressure on Balotelli will multiply if the winning streak stalls. The most interesting part of this story is not on the pitch, but in the press room. President Achsanul Qosasi keeps cooling things down: "Winning three in a row is called consistency, but a perfect start is not enough to measure a team's success." He mentions the 31 matches remaining. A president who dampens fan enthusiasm himself is rare in Southeast Asian leagues, where media usually inflate every good start. Perhaps he remembers last year's fall too well, when the team thought they were safe and then nearly got relegated. Media is beginning to use words like "explosion," "sweeping everything," creating a wave of expectation. But the paradoxical angle lies within the club itself: Madura does not need more praise; they need calmness. Three wins prove nothing about long-term character. Their opponents – Persijap, PSS Sleman, PSIM – are not rated as top forces. If these are mid-table or lower sides, then the winning streak partly benefits from the fixture list. The comeback against PSIM also shows defensive lapses. Those gaps will be punished when facing stronger opponents. Madura United stand with Persija Jakarta as the only two teams with perfect records, but their squad quality cannot be compared to the capital club in depth and financial power. The biggest question here is not whether Madura can win the title, but whether this is a genuine revival under Jose Gomes, or just a temporary burst of a collective driven by winning emotions. I want to observe more closely before calling this a tactical revolution. When a team that nearly got relegated rises to the top, media often rush to celebrate; I would rather wait a few more rounds to see if their system truly holds under pressure. What I have learned from Japanese football is: Japanese people are not strong because of discipline; they are strong because they understand the reason to be disciplined. Madura's president is applying that philosophy to how he manages expectations. He does not forbid fans from dreaming, but he reminds them that the season is 34 rounds long, and focus will be tested from August to May. The patience with Balotelli – whether right or wrong – also reflects what I call "soft discipline": maintaining principles when everything is going well. If Balotelli does not improve, the January replacement decision will be the first test of this policy. Vietnamese football has witnessed many teams starting impressively and then collapsing. The same lesson applies to Madura: a short winning streak only has value if it is built on a clear system foundation. I have followed Southeast Asian leagues long enough to know that early-season form often deceives the eye. Teams with true quality will stabilize over 10 rounds, while teams relying on luck will be exposed before Christmas. Madura United has done the hardest thing: turning crisis into opportunity. But the real challenge starts now. Can they maintain their composure against stronger opponents? Can Jose Gomes find a way to relieve pressure on Balotelli? Can the fragile defense from a few moments against PSIM be repaired? I do not predict; I only read the evidence before the current shifts. And the evidence tells me: this is only the warm-up for a long, volatile season. Let us return after 31 more rounds, when we will know whether "explosion" is a meaningful phrase or just a bubble burst.