Port Vila club Erakor Golden Star FC have claimed one of Vanuatu’s entries in the OFC Champions League for the second year in a row after defeating Ifira Black Bird FC 2-0 in the final of the Port Vila Super League yesterday.
Jacky Reuben was the first to open the scoring for Erakor with a well-placed attempt drifting just wide of Ifira’s diving keeper. Tony Kaltak was behind the second goal, firing the ball into the back of the net with a powerful header from a perfectly-timed cross to secure the win.
The defending champions’ journey to the regional competition has been anything but linear, falling short of the top spot in the PVFA Premier Championship to Ifira Black Bird FC, then conceding to the league champions again when both teams met in the first round of the Port Vila Super League.
A single goal from Tony Kaltack kept the team’s dream alive in their semi-final meeting with Amicale FC, edging Erakor ahead of the 2016 OFC Champions League contenders to earn one last chance against Ifira in the final.
Erakor Golden Star FC will be eager to improve their placing in the 2018 OFC Champions League after finishing third in their group with one win against Fiji’s Rewa FC, and two losses against Solomon Islands’ Marist FC and Tahiti’s AS Tefana in the 2017 edition of the competition.