Raura gives Ba B.O.G title
By EPINERI VULA
Laisenia Raura scored his most memorable goal for Ba to give the Men in Black the 2012 Inkk Mobile Battle of the Giants title.
The game had gone to penalty kicks after 120 minutes of soccer and Raura’s spot kick took the scores to 4-2 after his side had taken five penalties.
Josefata Neibuli, Jone Vesikula, Mavileko Nakama and Raura scored for Ba while Avinesh Waran Suwamy missed.
For Labasa, Taione Kerevanua and Pita Bolaitoga scored while Apisalome Turuva and Taniela Waqa missed.
Ba and Labasa battled to a 0-0 draw at full-time and in the first half of extra time Ba striker Osea Vakatalesau was sent off after a second yellow card.
Both teams had several chances to score, but lacked the finishing touch.
A swinging drive by Maciu Dunadamu in the 25th minute of normal time had the Ba defence in sixes and sevens and goalkeeper Jone Ralulu had to scramble to push the ball over the goal-line.
Seven minutes later Ba worked their way into the Labasa box, only for Malakai Tiwa to shoot wide after being fed by Avinesh Waran Suwamy.
In the second half, Labasa’s Papua New Guinea import Wira Wama shot over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat.
In their final pool match – to decide who would top the pool – Labasa beat Ba 1-0, courtesy of a Taione Kerevanua strike.
In the semi-finals, Ba beat hosts Lautoka 2-0 while Apisalome Turuva steered Labasa to the final with a goal to give them a 1-0 win over Nadi.
In their last B.O.G final, Ba beat Labasa 2-1 at the National Stadium in 2008.
Labasa last won the B.O.G in 1997, while for Ba it was 2009.
This is the sixth B.O.G final that has gone to penalty kicks.
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Posted by newsroom
on July 29, 2012. Filed under Fiji Sports.
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