Auckland went some way towards booking their place in April and May’s two-legged finale with their comprehensive 7-3 victory at home to Solomon Islands outfit Koloale, leaving the defeated side still chasing their first points of the campaign and rooted to the bottom of Group B. Auckland had seemed set to face arch rivals Waitakere United in an all-New Zealand tie but that prospect now looks less certain after the West Aucklanders fell to a 3-0 Group A defeat to Tefana in Tahiti.
The victors are now hot on Waitakere’s tails, trailing by just two points with two matches to go as the race to top the pool and qualify for the all-important final, the winner of whom earns a spot at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup, intensifies.
Had the result of the round’s other game – won 2-0 by Papua New Guinea’s 10-man Hekari United over Vanuatu’s Amicale – resulted in a draw, Auckland could have made sure of their final berth but coach Ramon Tribulietx said that was never on the players’ minds.
“We knew that might be the case but we just wanted to win our game and then see what happened in the other one,” the Spaniard said. “We will now have to get something from the other games and we know that playing away in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu is very hard. Nothing is won halfway through the season so we have to keep going.”
In an open and free-flowing first half, City took the lead in just the seventh minute when an Andrew Milne cross found Chad Coombes and the one-cap All White struck a low shot towards goal which Shadrack Ramoni brilliantly saved. The ball went straight from Ramoni’s palms to the feet of Adam Dickinson and the Auckland striker tucked it home.
But the advantage didn’t last long, Koloale hitting back only nine minutes later through a Steven Anisi strike that goalkeeper Tamati Williams, deputising for the injured Jacob Spoonley, could do little about. That sparked half an hour of evenly-fought, entertaining football in the brilliant Auckland sunshine but the class of City’s attack told to put them 3-1 ahead at the interval.
The home side edged back in front when Coombes finished off some fine passing interplay between Manel Exposito and Dickinson in the 36th but the third goal arrived in far more fortuitous fashion, the unlucky Franis Lafai directing a Coombes cross past goalkeeper Ramoni to the bewilderment of players and spectators alike.
That put City firmly in control going into the second spell and, if they weren’t already safely in the bag, the points appeared to be going to only one team when further goals in quick succession from captain Ivan Vicelich, Dickinson and Milne made it 6-1 by the 62nd. A spectacular strike from Benjamin Totori moments later gave Koloale a glimmer of hope but a remarkable comeback was always unlikely and Daniel Koprivcic extended the lead further with seven minutes to go.
There was still time for another Koloale consolation, James Naka finding the net in stoppage time as his team became the first to score more than twice against City in this season’s O-League. That came as cold comfort to coach Jeffrey Allen, who took on the role from previous incumbent Peter Eke in the build up to the match.
“I thought we played well for the first 15 to 20 minutes, we were passing the ball well and our shape was good,” the American said. “But then our shape broke down and our defence started to lose sight of their marks. We knew what we had to do but we didn’t have the mental tenacity to keep it up throughout the 90 minutes.”
In Tahiti, Waitakere got off to a bad start when new signing Alvin Tehau put Tefana in front in the opening minute and the task got tougher for the visitors just before half-time as Sebastien Labayen made it 2-0. A third goal, struck by Taufa Neuffer midway through the second spell, ensured Waitakere would return to Auckland with no points and sent coach Neil Emblen to Melbourne, where he will lead the New Zealand Olympic team against the Saudia Arabia national side on Monday, with plenty to ponder.
There were less goals in the league’s other francophone territory but the result was just as vital, Fiji’s Ba leaving New Caledonia with three points thanks to a 1-0 win. Missing three key players through suspension – Avinesh Suwamy, Isimeli Narisia and Malakai Tiwa – and with their preparations hampered by severe flooding in their homeland, the Men in Black were expected to find the going tough in Noumea but instead produced a determined effort to keep their final hopes alive, the lone goal being struck from the penalty spot by striker Osea Vakatalesau in the 36th minute.
“We were only able to do a few days of training before coming here because Ba has been one of the areas most badly affected by the flooding,” coach Yogendra Dutt said. “We would like to dedicate this win to the people of Fiji and especially Ba, it is a gift that we hope will bring sunshine into their lives during this difficult time. We have two more games to play and we hope the weather will be fine when we return home so we can prepare better.”
Ba could now be darkhorses to top the group as they have home advantage for their two remaining matches and are playing the sides above them, Waitakere and Tefana, who they now trail by three points and one point respectively.
Hekari are in a similar position in Group B after their key victory over Amicale but will have their work cut out to claw back Auckland’s five-point lead. Local hero Kema Jack put the Port Moresby-based side in with a chance of repeating their 2010 title win with a double, his first strike an unstoppable 11th-minute free kick from just outside the box and the second the result of a swift counter attack in the 79th. Hekari were forced to play much of the match with 10 men after Fijian international Taniela Waqa was dismissed just after half time for a second bookable offence.
The 2012 O-League returns on the first weekend of March with a full round of action.
For the full 2012 O-League schedule and results click here
Tefana vs Waitakere Summary click here
Mont-Dore vs Ba Summary click here
Auckland City vs Koloale Summary click here
Hekari United vs Amicale Summary click here
Competition Summary click here