Swamy double sinks Delta Tigers Avinesh Swamy scored two second half goals to keep Ba in contention for a semifinal spot and put host Rewa on the brink of elimination last night at Ratu Cakobau Park. After missing the Men In Blacks first match due to work commitment, the crafty midfielder delivered his best and looked dangerous every time he had ball possession. Both teams needed a win in the fixture to keep their chances alive and Rewa playing with the support of home fans started the match attacking and missed five goal-scoring opportunities in the first half while Swamy had the best chance to put Ba up midway in the half but he shot wide in front of an empty goal. Maciu Dunadamu and Abbu Zahid also had chances but timely saves by keeper Akuila Mateisuva and good defending by captain Lorim Dau and Peniame Drova kept Ba at bay. The second half was also started on a fast pace and the hosts again missed sitters in front of goal as Misaele Draunibaka, Epeli Saukuru and Ratu Savenaca Nakalaevu despite beating the defence failed to convert their chances into goals. Against the run of play, a through pass from Meli Codro in the 62nd minute found Swamy who slammed the ball into th back of the net stunning the Rewa defence and goalkeeper Akuila Mateisuva. Ratu Luke Lomasalatao, Saukuru and replacement Tevita Waranaivalu were set up well by Rewas midfield and should have scored for the host but their moments of hesitation in front of goal and inaccurate shots summed up their performance. With a minute remaining on the clock, Ba was awarded an indirect free-kick on the edge of the Rewa box after replacement Samuela Nabenia was fouled by Drova. And again Swamy rose to the occasion and slammed the ball into the roof of the net to seal the win and send the Ba fans into a frenzy. Coach Yogendra Dutt was elated with the win and said they had to lift their performance after losing the first match and the inclusion of experienced players really made the difference. We changed a few players tonight and managed to play our style of soccer against Rewa. Avi was at his level best and scored two beautiful goals. Rewa gave us a very tough match and both teams played very well. We have another big game against Labasa tomorrow. We have to win that one as well to qualify for the semifinal. We will take good rest, regroup and will come out strongly in that match, he said. Rewa coach Marika Rodu said despite having their chances they failed to score and the players themselves have made life difficult for the hosts. We cannot win if we do not score goals. Our finishing has been bad and we really need to work on this. We still have a game and will see how things eventuate on the last day, he said. Labasa leads Pool A with 6 points and just needs a draw against Ba to finish as pool winners. Ba on the other hand needs a win to seal its spot. Nadroga which also has 3 points will need to beat Rewa and hope that Ba drops points against Labasa. Rewa has the slimmest of chances. They will need to beat Nadroga by a very big margin and will then have to hope that Ba loses to Labasa. Rewa plays Nadroga at 1.30pm while Ba and Labasa will be bring the curtains down with the last pool match at 5.30pm. Source:fijilive
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 08:00:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015