Fijians Miss Big Chance As New Caledonians Reach Historic OFC Final
Analysis:
Ba football coach Ronil Kumar and his Lautoka counterpart Kamal Swamy are probably having sleepless nights thinking about the OFC Champions League.
Seeing New Caledonian clubs Hienghene Sports and AS Magenta end New Zealand’s two decades of dominance in the region’s top competition would have been painful.
Hienghene toppled defending champions Team Wellington 2-0, while Magenta overcame nine-time champions Auckland City 2-1 at the Stade Numa Daly in Nouméa on Sunday.
The two victories are being hailed as the turning point in Oceania football, but that is yet to be seen.
Since its inception in 2007, the new OFC Champions League format has seen only one non-New Zealand winner- Hekari United of Papua New Guinea in 2009/10.
As the region straps in for a historic all-New Caledonia final on Sunday, the Fijian teams will be wondering what went wrong.
The competition was there for the taking– and so were the Kiwis – yet a serious challenge never materialised with both teams missing a massive opportunity.
Vodafone Ba stumbled at the quarterfinal stage against Hienghene despite scoring first through Malakai Rakula and generally having a tidier game than their opponents in the first half.
The New Caledonians equalised through a Betrand Kai penalty on the cusp of half-time after a silly handball by Kishan Sami, and Ba simply had no response to the setback. For this, the coaches, including Shalend Lal, have to cop some blame.
By the time Narendra Rao was red carded in the 82nd minute for a cynical foul, Ba looked tired and bereft of ideas, eventually conceding early in extra time to lose the tie 2-1.
The Vodafone Lautoka side’s exit in the pool stages was even more disappointing, given their expensive signings and ambition to win the competition having lost in the final the previous year.
After beating PNG’s Morobe Wawens 5-0 on day one, the Sugar City side collapsed in the final two matches with a 6-5 loss to Henderson Eels (Solomons) and a 2-2 draw with AS Central Sport (Tahiti).
The progress of the New Caledonians has shown that the New Zealand teams are not invincible. They can be beaten, given the right training and preparation.
The eight Vodafone Premier League teams vying for the two available spots for next year’s competition should keep that in mind.
Winning the OFC Champions League ensures direct qualification to the FIFA Club World Cup and earns the victorious team US$500,000 (FJ$1.06 million) in prize money.
That is enough reason for the VPL to be considered the most important competition in Fiji, despite the hype that surrounds the Fiji FACT, Battle of the Giants and the Inter-District Championships.
While Ba and Lautoka have again emerged as favourites to qualify for next year’s championship, teams like Labasa and Suva have the means to challenge them.
How much emphasis they put on the VPL over the three tournaments remains to be seen? But the balance of power in club football in Oceania looks to be shifting and it would be remiss of Fijian teams not to capitalise.
Edited by Leone Cabenatabua
Feedback: sheldon.chanel@fijisun.com.fj
