Both sides were eager for a win after losing their opening O-League matches but it was Magenta who were able to hold their heads high after the final whistle, edging the closely-fought contest with a 1-0 win.
The Stade Numa Daly crowd had to wait for over an hour to see a goal but, when one duly arrived in the 65th minute, were delighted to see it went to one of their own players, Magenta forward Jean Philippe Saiko.
Tefana, who lost their first match 3-1 to Waitakere United but impressed many onlookers with their ability, could not find a way back into the game in the final 25 minutes and were forced to give up the points to Alain Moizan’s men.
Coach Moizan was delighted with the win but knows there is still plenty of work to be done if Magenta are to keep their dream of progressing through to the final alive.
“The main objective is to win our three games at home to hopefully finish as the leader of the group,” he says. “One of those steps has been made but we will also have to travel well for our last two games away.”
Achieving that aim of winning both of the remaining home matches will not be a straightforward task. The 10,000-capacity Stade Numa Daly is an intimidating place for any visiting team to play but Magenta will face two of the strongest clubs in the O-League, New Zealand pair Waitakere United and Auckland City, in their upcoming matches.
Neil Emblen’s Waitakere will be the first of the Kiwi sides to visit Noumea on December 4 and victory will be the only thing on the West Aucklanders minds. They thought they had secured all three points against fierce rivals Auckland on Saturday but an injury-time equaliser denied them victory.
Tefana welcome Auckland to their Stade Louis Gavinet ground on December 3 and, although they are yet to secure a win, coach Laurent Heinis believes his players will approach the match in a relaxed frame of mind.
“We have nothing to lose so they will play without pressure,” he says. “We hope to achieve some better results in our next games.”
Heinis says the side’s failure to keep possession was their downfall against Magenta.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t play as we planned to. We didn’t keep the ball long enough to build the game up.”
The weekend’s other O-League results featured a 4-0 win for Hekari United over Koloale, and a 1-0 triumph for Lautoka against Amicale.
Magenta vs. Tefana – Match Summary Download PDF
Waitakere United vs. Auckland City – Match Summary Download PDF
Lautoka vs Amicale – Match Summary Download PDF
Hekari United vs Koloale – Match Summary Download PDF
Competition Summary Download PDF