Blues win after 9 years-PIC

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Blues win after 9 years-PIC

IT took the Design Engineering Lautoka football side nine years to finally sing the ‘Blues’ at the Courts Inter-District Championship at Churchill Park yesterday.

The gutsy Lautoka side defeated arch rival 4R Electrical Ba 5-4 in the penalty shoot-out after both teams were levelled 1-all during the match.

The Blues last won the coveted soccer title in 2008 and this is the 17th time to have won the title.

Super sub Senirusi Bokini was the star of the Lautoka team as he brilliantly answered the SOS call to replace injured Beniamino Mateinaqara during the penalty kicks.

Mateinaqara who failed to stop the first two goals by Ba’s Avinesh Waran Suwamy and Mavileko Nakama was replaced by Bokini during the shoot-out.

The Lautoka-based police officer though failed to stop Samuela Nabenia’s kick but return in style to stop Meli Codro and Malakai Rakula penalty kicks.

Lautoka players Zibraz Sahib, Josefa Dugucagi, Dave Radregai, and Christoper Wasasala scored for the Blues.

Lautoka, however, received a huge blow in the fourth minute of the game as skipper Ilaitia Tuilau was sent off for dangerous play on Ba’s Samuela Nabenia.

Despite playing with 10 men, the Blues managed to win a penalty after striker Samuela Drudru was tackled without the ball inside the penalty box.

Zibraz Sahib made no mistake with the penalty taking his team to a 1-nil lead.

Ba was reduced to 10-men after Laisenia Raura was red carded in the second spell for a dangerous tackle on Drudru. Later in the game, captain Abbu Zahid levelled the scores after receiving a well-timed cross kick from Meli Codro to score a wonderful goal.

Both teams missed out many scoring opportunities finishing the game with a 1-all scoreline.

The two sides also failed to score any goals in the extra time with the winner to be determined on penalty kicks.

Ba’s Saula Waqa also copped a red card for tackling Iliesa Lino without the ball in the dying stages of the extra time.

Meanwhile, man of the moment Bokini dedicated the win to his two children Lote and Jasmine in Savusavu and also to all the Lautoka fans.

The Blues received $22,000 while Ba walked away with $6000.

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