That victory was followed up by a decent 2-0 win for hosts Ba FC over AS Magenta in the day’s second Group C encounter.
From a young side of Teouma Academy graduates Tafea coach Moise Poida has sculpted a lethal force of skilled, quick-footed players.
Dominating the early action, it wasn’t long before Poida’s prodigy Dalong Damalip found the back of the net with a stunning strike that sent the side’s supporters absolutely wild just inside the opening ten minutes.
Hekari struggled to settle into the match and appeared uncomfortable on the field as the wiry Tafea side weaved their way through the defence and kept Hekari keeper Leslie Kalai at the centre of the action.
It was heads down for Hekari’s loyal crowd when Joses Nawo got on the end of a deflection to drive a ball at the target sending it ricocheting off a defender and past Kalai to extend Tafea’s lead.
With less than five minutes on the clock New Zealand referee Matt Conger found himself pointing at the spot after a hand ball in the box by Tafea defender Lucien Hinge. The resulting penalty was easily converted by Tutizama Tanito who went left, as keeper Seloni Iuarel dove to the right.
The yellow cards flowed in the second half but it was Hekari who came out second best when Tuimasi Manuca was given a straight red card in the 77 minute. Four minutes later the Vanuatu side had their third as Don Mansale beat the defender and slotted home.
Clearly ecstatic to notch an opening win over such a storied opponent, Tafea’s Poida was incredibly proud of the performance from his players.
“They played very well, they listened to what I told them and I’m very positive about the end result,” Poida says.
“The end result we won the game and that’s what we wanted. We won three points in the first game and are now focusing on the next match.”
For Hekari coach Jerry Allen it was far from a joyous occasion with his side now left with a lot of ground to make up.
“I think we started well in the first 20 minutes but they took their chances and they scored early,” he says.
“We tried to fight back in the second half we started the way we wanted but the red card really let the boys down and I’m not really happy with the result. We were expecting a good result – but that’s football.”
In the day’s second match AS Magenta of New Caledonia lined up against host side Ba FC.
It was a slow start under the hot Fiji sun for the two sides, both hoping to get an early win under their belts to ease them into the competition. That resulted in a lot of pushing and shoving as both sides looked to assert their authority and it was the home side who won the early advantage.
Barely ten minutes in Tahiti referee Norbert Hauata pointed to the spot after a hand ball in the Magenta box. Ba’s lanky striker Osea Vakatalesau stepped up but sent his effort wide to the despair of the crowd.
He soon got a chance to redeem himself with a blast across the face of the goal in the 19 minute. The tussling continued and Hauata was forced to hand out yellow cards to both sides before the break.
Magenta coach Alain Moizan made two half-time changes bringing Jonathan Kakou and Olivier Dokunengo into the action. Dokunengo made an immediate impact as he looked to up the pact in the middle, but his side struggled to keep up.
The Francophone side went down a man when Wakanumune received his second yellow card of the afternoon resulting in him being given his marching orders by Hauata.
Down to ten men, Magenta struggled on and made a number of decent attacks but, as it was throughout the match, never really challenged Ba keeper Epeli Codro. The hosts sealed the victory in additional time when the ball rebounded off the upright to Abbu Zahid Shaheed who fired into a near-empty net.
For Moizan, it was a missed opportunity for his side and one he believes could cost them dearly in the long run.
“Football is won in the middle of the field and if you’re not there and in charge on the pitch, you can’t win,” he says.
“The second half started much better, but we sensed the players were a bit tired maybe from the heat, I don’t know. But everyone is facing the same heat so I am very, very disappointed in my team. Playing the way we played, we didn’t have what it takes to win.”
Yogendra Dutt’s side finished victorious after a difficult match and says the three points are the most important thing they’ll take from the encounter.
“It’s a good start to the OFC Champions League,” he says.
“Any team that plays at their home ground will have the crowd’s support and that was us today. I’m proud of our fans for coming out and supporting the team throughout the game.”
With a win apiece Tafea and Nadi take top spot in the Group C table while AS Magenta and Hekari United will need victories from their final two encounters to challenge for a spot in the semi-finals.
The OFC Champions League group stage action continues tomorrow at Churchill Park in Lautoka with Amicale FC and AS Dragon opening proceedings at 1pm before defending champions Auckland City FC take on hosts Nadi FC.

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