The Bilikiki will have expected to take the game to their futsal counterparts but instead it was the Kurukuru who made the brighter start, putting their opponents under all sorts of pressure early on with an onslaught of shots.
They made use of this dominance to get on the scoresheet first and it was a former Bilikiki player who inflicted the damage on his old teammates. Paul Huia showed the full range of his ability to pull off a spectacular bicycle kick past goalkeeper Izomo Bird, to the great delight of the supporters.
Bilikiki captain James Naka put some confidence back into his side at the end of the first third when he struck from the penalty spot to level the scores.
The second third saw the Bilikiki play with more composure but the threat from the fleet-footed Kurukuru players remained strong and they worked hard to upset their beach rivals’ game plan.
It took another penalty for Bilikiki to get their noses in front, Robert Laua converting this time after he was pushed over inside the nine-metre area.
New recruit McPhillip Aisa added another goal from a free kick after Naka had earlier missed a great opportunity to do likewise.
With just seconds left on the clock, Laua notched his second of the afternoon when he headed home a pin-point Nicholas Muri cross to wrap up the scoring.
The two teams will meet again this weekend but it is likely to be the Kurukuru who have the upper hand this time as the match will be a futsal one. It will be the second futsal clash between the two teams – the Kurukuru won the earlier meeting 5-3.
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