A timely header by defender Cyril Muta one minute before full time saw Tuguba Laitepu Morobe Kumuls beat Inspac Rapatona 2-1 in the Telikom NSL competition on Saturday.
It was a hard fought battle for the home team who were struggling for large periods of the game before clinching the winner at the death.
After conceding a goal early in the match, the Morobe boys fought tooth and nail to equalise through Raymond Gunemba in the second half and then the killer blow in the 89th
minute by Muta.
The players had their share of warnings too with Rapatona’s Pondrilang Poawai being sent off by Madang referee Tommy Peters in the second half.
Kumuls’ Armstrong Peka was issued a yellow card along with Elijah Sigimata in the 27th and Kialou Pouru the 37th minute.
The match had to be halted for a few minutes because of the confusion by the referee and another official.
Former junior international Trobriander Percy Mataio’s goal 17 minutes into the game shocked the home team and even worse revved up the crowd to start jeering the visitors at Lae
Football Association Park.
Mataio’s long drive from the sideline saw Kumuls keeper David Kaura mistime his judgment on the ball that eventually rolled between his legs and into the net for an early lead,
1-0.
The home team were in trouble and struggled to level the score as Rapatona put up a strong defence.
Kumuls strikers Raymond Gunemba and Edmond Lalo were well marked by Elizah Sigamata, Kialou Pouru, John Baulo and Clinton Caleb.
The game turned aggressive as Kumul’s Gurti Sowera and Fabian Bagi were out of the field.
Rapatona continued to maintain the strong defence for a 1-0 lead to the break.
The home team regrouped and bounced back into the second half after a tongue lashing from coach Max Foster.
Gunemba, Lalo, Richard Daniel, Michael Foster, Roniel Igins and substitute flanker Amstrong Peka were at their best, attacking into the visitors’ danger area.
But it was a different Kumuls in the second half. Their efforts were rewarded when Caleb was booked for a hand ball in the penalty box.
Young Gunemba made no mistake to place the ball neatly into the net as Rapatona keeper Richard Lapan dived in the opposite direction.
The equalizer ignited the home side as they started to mount more pressure and advanced into the visitors’ territory.
Rapataona’s sending-off of Poawai early in the second half started to affect the city boys as they scrambled for defense.
Kumuls, having the advantage of 11 men, forced Rapatona onto the back foot and hung on with desperation, hoping for the final whistle to sound.
And just as Rapatona thought they had done enough to secure a draw, Muta delivered the killer blow with one minute left on the clock.
A quick short corner by Peka who sailed the ball brilliantly away from Rapatona defenders found unmarked Muta, who headed home the winning goal.
The Manusian boys were left stunned as the home crowd rose to their feet to cheer the home team.
Despite the loss, Rapatona’s coach Kisakou Posman commended the match as the best he had witnessed in the NSL challenge.
“I think this is the best NSL match I have watched so far where it was very competitive and physical,” he said.
However Kisakou was disappointed with the referee’s handling of the match with some of the decisions made.
Meanwhile Kumuls coach Max Foster praised his boys for a good fight in the dying minutes to come out winners over the Rapatona team.
“The boys were down but put up a strong fight to come out winners over Rapatona but it was a tough encounter with Rapatona giving a strong challenge against us,” he
said.
In the earlier match Gelle Hills Tau Winnie’s search for the golden boot award continued as he latched onto a scoring spree hat trick.\
Winnie scored four goals with the other two from Harold Robinson and Desmond Sow as Gelle Hills thrashed lowly rated Madang Fox 6- 0.
It was a one-sided affair with Hills having a “training session’’ over the Fox in Lae.
Man-of-the-match went to Gelel Hills Ilaita Jnr three points, goalkeeper David Aua two points and Madang Fox defender Glen Mark one.
In the Kumuls and Rapatona match Richard Daniel got the three points for the man of the match, Ronial Igins two points and Rapaton’s Elijah Sigimata one point.