The Lautoka Blues were thumped 0-7 in round two of OFC Champions League by Lae City in Luganiville, Vanuatu yesterday.

And Lautoka Football Association president Shailendra Prasad said yesterday it was a game Coach Anand Sami was confident of winning.

But the humiliation was an embarrassment as it derails their campaign after securing a 1-1 draw against Malampa on Saturday.

“Sami was 200 per cent confident of winning the game and we let him run the show,” Prasad said.

“Defence was a big letdown in the first game and he worked on it in the past few days.”

Sami said the players were falling behind the ball and they’re not trying to press the player with the ball and they’re giving [them] plenty of time to play the long ball

He said they need to polish up on pressing very quickly against Lae City.

“But again defence let us down again and I don’t know what happen and I need to find out.

“Perhaps goals scored early unsettled the team and could not find their shape,”Prasad

Lae City led 5-0 at halftime with goals from

Nigel Dabinyaba (22nd) before captain Raymond Gunemba struck in the 35th minute and Emmanuel Simon netted the third and fourth goals and Raymond Gunemba the fifth and sixth.

Dabinyaba scored his second goal in the 62nd minute to give Lae City a 7-0 win.

Two of the goals came from set-piece moves.

In the other match, Henderson Eels drew 2-2 with Malampa. The Eels play Blues on Friday and the two top teams qualify for the quarterfinal.,

Meanwhile, the Vodafone Premier League round four will continue this weekend.

Only two VPL games will be played with Labasa taking on Rewa at Subrail Park on Saturday at 1:30pm while Nadi host Nasinu at 3pm on Sunday at Prince Charles Park.

Edited by Karalaini Tavi

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