AS PIRAE 10 MARIST FC 1
AS Pirae captain Naea Bennett staked an early claim for the golden boot title as the Tahitian champions declared their semifinal candidacy in emphatic style.
Bennett was on target four times in Pirae’s 10-1 humbling of Solomon Islands champions Marist FC in the tournament opener at North Harbour Stadium.
The lanky playmaker sparked Pirae’s rout when he was chopped down in the box by Marist goalkeeper Philip Samani in the 21st minute. The impressive Jose Hmae made no mistake from the penalty spot to score the first goal of his hat-trick.
Bennett then got into the action when he blasted a shot through the gloved fingertips of Samani in the 32nd minute before Desmond Faauiaso atoned for an earlier howler by giving Pirae a 3-0 lead just before halftime.
Pirae had to wait just three minutes after the break for Bennett’s second goal before the Tahitian skipper sealed his hat-trick when Samani left a gapping hole at his near post in the 66th minute.
Bennett’s fourth came from after an almost length of the pitch break from Vincent Simon, the defender finally laying off to Bennett for a simple tap-in.
Alex Williams added a brace to complete the rout as Marist were continually cut open by the pacy Pirae frontrunners and exposed by the Tahitian’s ability to deliver dangerous crosses almost at will.