Having watched Tefana gain control of the group with a 2-0 francophone derby win over Mont-Dore yesterday, both sides required a positive result to keep themselves in the running for a place in the final and the clash certainly lived up to what you would expect from such an important fixture.
The teams were coming of the back of contrasting results in the previous round, Ba beating Mont-Dore 1-0 and Waitakere falling 3-0 at Tefana, but that defeat had clearly not shattered the Kiwis’ confidence as they went ahead just after the half hour through a Matt Cunneen header.
The lead didn’t last long though, Ba hitting back just six minutes later in unusual circumstances. There appeared to be little danger when Remeuru Takiata picked the ball up just inside the Waitakere half but he let fly with a speculative shot anyway and it somehow found its way past a red-faced Danny Robinson in goal.
There was no further scoring for the rest of the half but the match turned into an evenly contested and entertaining encounter, a development that no doubt proved pleasing for the Ba locals who had turned out to watch, many of whom were in need of some light relief after being badly affected by recent flooding in the region.
Their spirits were raised once more on 52 minutes as the Men in Black took the lead, Jone Salauneune exchanging passes with Malakai Tiwa in a neat move before firing home to send the Ba fans into raptures.
Waitakere player-coach Neil Emblen responded by almost immediately throwing on young strikers Rory Turner and Sean Lovemore but is was a substitute from the opposing ranks, Malakai Kanihewe, who had the most impact, scoring Ba’s third within minutes of coming on.
That goal appeared to put the match out of the visitors’ reach but, in such desperate need of at least a point, Emblen wasn’t about to die wondering and entered the fray himself in the 74th minute.
Waitakere did give themselves hope when Lovemore finished off a Roy Krishna cross with seven minutes on the clock and Emblen thought he’d levelled the scores moments later and his shot thundered down off the crossbar. The former New Zealand Knights player felt it had crossed the line but his appeals to Tahitian referee Norbert Hauata fell on deaf ears and play was waved on.
Emblen pushed his charges forward in the final frantic minutes but they could not find the vital breakthrough that would have seen them return to the top of the group on goal difference.
Ba have now completed a double over Waitakere at Govind Park, the home side triumphed 2-1 in the teams’ last meeting there in the 2007 O-League final, and coach Yogendra Dutt is delighted to have recorded a result which puts his men in with a great chance of returning to the final in 2012.
“Our game plan was to shut out Waitakere on the flanks,” he said. “We were not able to do that in the first half but the boys capitalised in the second. We had height advantage in the front, that’s why we opted for long balls and it worked out.”
Emblen has now seen Waitakere’s fate go out of their hands and he is disappointed to have lost control of his team’s destiny.
“We did not take our chances and that changed the complexion of the match,” he said. “Ba is a good team with very good players and we expected a tough game. We now need a positive result over Mont-Dore and for Ba to draw with or beat Tefana which is unfortunate for us.”
The O-League group stage will conclude on 31 March with an intriguing Match Day 6 in store before the home-and-away final in May.
For the full 2012 O-League schedule and results click here
2012 O-League Match Day 5 Results
Ba [FIJ]: 3 (Remeuru TAKIATA 36′, Jone SALAUNEUNE 51′, Malakai KANIHEWE 73′)
Waitakere United [NZL]: 2 (Matt CUNNEEN 31′, Sean LOVEMORE 83′)
Half-time: 1-1
Sunday 4 March
Govind Park
Ba, Fiji
Match Summary: Download here
Koloale [SOL]: 1 (Ezra SALE 87′)
Amicale [VAN]: 0
Half-time: 0-0
Saturday 3 March
Lawson Tama Stadium
Honiara, Solomon Islands
Match Summary: Download here
Hekari United [PNG]: 1 (Maciu DUNADAMU 60’)
Auckland City [NZL]: 1 (Alex FENERIDIS 90 + 1’)
Half-time: 0-0
Saturday 3 March
PMRL Stadium
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Match Summary: Download here
Tefana [TAH]: 2 (Roihau DEGAGE 47′, Jean Claude CHANG KOEI CHANG pen 71′)
Mont-Dore [NCL]: 0
Half-time: 0-0
Friday 2 March
Stade Loius Ganivet
Faa’a, Tahiti
Match Summary: Download here
Competition Summary after Match Day 5: Download here