Auckland picked up the point they needed to secure a spot in the final with a 1-1 away draw against Papua New Guinea outfit Hekari United in Group B while Tahiti’s Tefana triumphed 2-0 over Mont-Dore, their francophone rivals from New Caledonia, to keep the pressure on Group A leaders Waitakere United, who face Ba in Fiji tomorrow. Tefana now lead Waitakere by a point, having played one game more, and the Kiwis must earn a positive outcome from their Fijian sojourn.
In today’s other match, Solomon Islands side Koloale finally picked up their first win of the campaign over Vanuatu’s Amicale – reduced to nine men for the final quarter – in a clash most notable for the number of Solomon Islanders in the visitors’ line up.
Auckland went into the Hekari encounter as the only undefeated team in the competition and needed just a point to book themselves a spot in May’s two-legged final. But Hekari had just as much to play for, needing a win to keep their final hopes alive, and dominated proceedings under a searing sun.
It looked like the home side had pocketed the three points they so desperately required as they went into the closing stages 1-0 up, the slender lead courtesy of a Maciu Dunadamu strike on the hour mark. But Auckland, who put in a subdued performance by their standards and were clearly affected by the stifling heat, received a boost when Hekari’s Pita Bolatoga was sent off late on and used their numerical advantage to press forward in the final moments.
That pressure was rewarded in injury time when midfielder Alex Feneridis curled home a spectacular free kick to break the hearts of Hekari, who won the O-League in 2010, and book Auckland a second successive spot in the final.
“It was a tough game and they were probably better than us for the most part to be honest,” coach Ramon Tribulietx said.
“But I think we deserve to be in the final, perhaps not based on this performance but definitely overall. We only started to play after they scored but we fought hard and got the result we needed,” he added.
“It was a very hot day and the field was a lot bigger than what we are used to at home and that didn’t make it any easier, the heat definitely affected us. But we are now in our second O-League final in two years and, regardless of the way we played, the atmosphere is unbelievable in the dressing room. This is another great moment for the club.”
Auckland could well face Tefana in that final after a 47th-minute Roihau Degage strike and a Jean-Claude Change Koei Chang penalty in the 71st gave Laurent Heinis’ men their francophone derby win.
“This success is a great satisfaction,” Heinis said.
“Scoring the first goal was essential. We struggled in the first half as they were well organised in defence but we managed to break through. I am very happy for the players as we have never won against a New Caledonia team. Now we have to wait for the result of the game tomorrow.”
Mont-Dore counterpart Percy Avock saw his preparations for the match disrupted by the late withdrawal of several key players and was proud of the efforts of those that took the field.
“I’m proud of the players because they gave everything they had,” he said.
“We did not have enough players but we challenged Tefana well for the first half an hour. We now have one more game to play against Waitakere and will approach it with full commitment as always.”
The day’s other game had little riding on it but the Koloale and Amicale players still approached it with plenty of passion, as seen in the sending off of two men. Amicale’s Alick Maemae and Nelson Sale both saw red, in the 72nd and 79th minutes respectively, and Koloale made Amicale pay for their ill-discipline with a late Ezra Sale effort.
The attention of Pacific football followers now turns to Fiji as Ba, who still have an outside chance of making the final themselves, face Waitakere in a match that both sides will be desperate to win.
For the full 2012 O-League schedule and results click here
2012 O-League Results Match Day 5
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
Koloale [SOL]: 1 (Ezra SALE 87′)
Amicale [VAN]: 0
Half-time: 0-0
Saturday 3 March
Lawson Tama Stadium
Honiara, Solomon Islands
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
STILL TO BE PLAYED:
Ba [FIJ] vs. Waitakere United [NZL]
Sunday 4 March
Govind Park
Ba, Fiji
Local kick-off: 3pm