Apo stars in Kutubu win

By PARKER TAMBUA
AN Andrew Apo treble helped Kutubu beat Star Mountain 4-2 in a Kumul Petroleum National Soccer League round four thriller at the PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby on Saturday.
The more experienced Star Mountain were the first to score through William Yumb, who goaled off a Tarman Romas corner kick in the 11th minute before Kutubu’s Apo equalised four minutes later.
With the humidity of Port Moresby taking toll on the visiting Kutubu men it took time for them to adjust to the conditions as they struggled to catch up with the pace which saw Star Mountain take advantage through Pettyshen Elijah whose cross caught Kutubu keeper Jonathan Pole off guard.
Star Mountain led 2-1 at half-time and looked to consolidate that lead but the Southern Highlanders hit back early in the second half through Apo when he scored his second goal. With the Apo effort the Kutubu side seemed to pick up their pace and started to control possession thanks in part to mid fielder and captain Samuel Kini’s direction.
Kutubu hit the lead (3-2) for the first time in the match when their striker Harry Gulf scored from a corner kick by Alex Kiwe.
Star Mountain forwards tried hard to level the scores in the final 10 minutes but lacked the execution to break down Kutubu’s organised defence. Kutubu then put the nail in Star’s coffin when Apo completed his hat-trick in the 90th minute.
Kutubu coach Mathew Witu said while he had hoped for a win, he did not expect his men to fight back from a 2-1 deficit to score three unanswered goals in the second stanza against a quality side.
“I wasn’t really anticipating a win coming into this match but the way we competed against an experienced outfit at this level was unbelievable,” Witu said.