Draw leaves pool open

 By HENRY MORABANG

POOL A of the Oceania Champions League remains wide open after He­kari were held scoreless at home by Vanuatu’s Amicale on Saturday.

The 0-0 draw at the Port Moresby Rugby League Stadium in Port Moresby keeps the hunt for the top two positions tight.

The Vanuatu champions, who op­ened their campaign 2-1 over Solomon Islands Warriors last week, failed to add Hekari’s scalp to their list of victims after their key Solomon Islands player Joses Nawo was red-carded in the 35th minute.

Amicale then struggled for momentum with 10 men who put on a courageous fight to halt Hekari from scoring.

They could have gone top of the pool after early leaders, Ba drew with the Solomon Warriors 2-2 at Lawson Tama Stadium, in Honiara, last Wednesday. 

The Hekari management was relieved by that result and had hoped to beat Amicale over the weekend.

Coach Jerry Allen was disappointed his men could not find the back of the net.

“It is simple ABC. We dominated the game but if we cannot score, then there is definitely something wrong with our formula,” he said.

Hekari dominated much of the game but strikers Kema Jack, Jo­achim Waroi and flankers Wira Wa­ma and Raymond Gunemba could not find the net.

Team manageress Vonnye Kapi Natto said it was an exciting game but her players could find the finishing touch.

“We really need to improve when we start our tour of island countries this Friday, starting with Fiji’s Ba, then to Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands before returning to host the Solomon Islands Warriors on April 27 at POMRFL stadium,” she said.

Amicale FC technical director Robert Calvo said it was unfortunate Nawo was sent off as that had thrown their play into disarray.

Calva admitted they were fortunate to escape with the draw.

“I am happy with the draw despite the absence of Senegal and France players did not make the trip. Both players had no visa. He said the notable absence was Alick “Mr Cool” Maemae, who was in the Solomon Islands sorting family issues. 

“The weather is not good with us as well. The main thing is that we did not lose and we are still in the game for the final spot,” he said.

The group stages of the Oceania Champions League, formerly known as the O-League, end on April 27, with the home-and-away two-legged semi-finals will take place on May 4 and May 11.

The final will be staged at a yet-to-be-determined venue in Auckland, New Zealand on May 19.

The winner of the tournament will qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013.