Knowing a win would put them at the top of Group B and with an excellent chance of progressing to the semi-finals, Dragon looked on track for a spot in the knockout stages when captain Nicolas Vallar led by example to give them the lead in the 35th minute. But Mont-Dore, the only side in the competition without a point until tonight, were not about to do their fellow francophones any favours and threw a sizeable spanner into Dragon’s works when Dan Vakie equalised in the 73rd minute.
Dragon’s evening was then made even more disappointing when Vallar was shown a red card in injury time – a misdemeanor that could prove hugely significant as the Tahiti national team skipper is a key member of the Dragon defence and will now miss the vital home game against Auckland City this weekend which will determine who makes it through to the semi-finals.
A win over defending champions Auckland – a side they defeated 3-1 away in the previous round – will still mean Dragon qualify but the New Zealanders now need only a point to secure their own progression.
Dragon coach Ludovic Graugnard was disappointed to have missed the opportunity to create a smoother passage to the semi-finals but feels his side’s dreams of winning a title at their first attempt are far from over.
“We have to win against Auckland now but, on their side, they just need to draw,” he said. “We will need to be strong and well prepared but I believe we are good enough to win.”
Everything was going to plan for Graugnard and his men when Vallar headed home a corner to give the home side a half-time lead and, given Mont-Dore’s poor record in the competition so far, Dragon’s fans could have been forgiven for thinking the result was then a formality. But the outlook of Dragon’s season changed completely after Mont-Dore scored in exactly the same manner, Vakie getting his head to a corner to dispatch it past goalkeeper Mikael Roche.
Dragon still had nearly 20 minutes to put themselves on top of the Group B standings on goal difference but couldn’t find the net again as Mont-Dore held on to finally register something in the points column.
“We did not do very well physically tonight,” Graugnard lamented. “I don’t know if it is due to the fact that we have played so often but, for me, 70 per cent of the players did not play to their real level of football. The field does not allow us to play the football we would like as well.”
Mont-Dore coach Stephane Drahusak was delighted to have gotten off the mark and felt his team were good value for their point.
“It is a great satisfaction for us to get our first point of the competition,” he said. “We were not too troubled by Dragon in the first half, except on set pieces, and this is the area in which they scored. We had better chances during the second half and could have won the game if Dragon did not have a good goalkeeper,” he added.
“Even though we could not make the semi-finals, our aim was to keep playing until the end and we will show the same spirit in our next match against Waitakere.”
Tonight’s result means a fair degree of pressure is now off group leaders Waitakere United to win that match, set to take place in Noumea on Sunday, as a draw or even a loss would still them go through. But they will nonetheless be targeting three points to ensure they top the group and therefore earn the advantage of meeting the second-placed team in Group A in the semi-finals.
Dragon’s failure to win this evening will also be a confidence-booster for Auckland, who will now fancy their chances of following in Mont-Dore’s footsteps and posting the result it would take to book their place in the semi-finals. The crucial match between Dragon and Auckland takes place at Stade Pater on Saturday from 7.30pm local time.
In the final round of Group A action on Saturday, Ba will host Amicale while Solomon Warriors are set to travel to Hekari United. Fijian side Ba and Vanuatu’s Amicale have already made sure of their semi-final spots.

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