The Navua football side has moved a step ahead in their campaign for the Premier Division after beating Lami 1-0 in the first match of the Vodafone Senior Divison final playoff at the Uprising Sports Centre in Pacific Harbour on Sunday.
A 74th minute corner kick which was nodded on by Joseph Elder and buried into his own net by Lami goalkeeper Petero Namoce made all the difference in the fixture.
Lami strikers Taniela Rakariva and France Catarogo looked dangerous at times as they used their speed and skills on the artificial turf while Mathew Charittar played a sound game in defence.
Navua Captain Vineet Chand, his sibling Monit and speedy strikers Dawson Naidu and Sharad Kumar were the standout performers for the hosts.
Coach Mohammed Shafeel was happy with the win but said they still have a lot of work to do before their next match against Savusavu.
“It was a very tough match and we expected Lami to come out firing today as we are now in the final playoff and every single match matters.”
“We have five more games remaining and need to plan accordingly for them.”
“The players are fit but we still need to work a bit on our finishing and combination before the next match.”
“We are unbeaten and want to continue with this trend and return to the Premier Division. We have a great set of committed players and officials and everyone is chasing the same goal,” he added.
Disappointed Lami coach Deepak Chand denied for comments after their loss.
Vodafone Senior League 2019 – Final Playoff
Saturday 24 August 2019
Uprising Sports Centre, Navua
11.00am Lami vs. Dreketi
1.00pm Navua vs. Savusavu
Sunday 25 August 2019
Uprising Sports Centre, Navua
11.00am Lami vs. Savusavu
1.00pm Navua vs. Dreketi
The teams:
Navua– Rusiate Amasia, Sharad Kumar, Netani Doli, Joseph Elder, Rajnesh Raju, Mosese Balenagaga, Lemeki Rasalato, Vineet Chand, Monit Chand, Abdul Faraz, Dawson Naidu.
Lami– Petero Namoce, Matthew Charittar, Taniela Rakariva, Vinal Prasad, Shahil Kumar, Ravikash Krishna, Kalisito Bonawai, Ravnit Chand, France Catarogo, Kartik Kumar, Kaota Torlen.
