Gunemba hails 5-1 win over Wawens as best performance

LAE City coach Peter Gunemba has hailed Saturday’s 5-1 win over Morobe Wawens as their best performance so far in the Kumul Petroleum National Soccer League this season.
Following 1-0 wins in the opening two rounds, he said his side had improved their game thanks to their offseason training at the Papua New Guinea High Performance Sports Centre in the Morobe capital.
“The first half was tough as the boys kept possession in our own territory instead of playing out,” Gunemba said.
“That gave Morobe Wawens a few chances to score. However, they became fatigued towards the end of the first half and we capitalised to score twice through Alu Awi.
“This made it easy for us to score more goals in the second half.
“I’m happy with the general performance of my players. They played their part in the win but I thank Wawens for giving us a good challenge. They did well to contain us until the 35th minute and my players struggled to score.
“Our plan was to score in the first 15 minutes but it took us 35 minutes to do so and that’s something we need to work on.
“Nevertheless, it was a great game and we are looking forward to our coming matches. I want to see an improvement every time we play.
“This will allow us to reach the level that can help us in our preparations for the Oceania Football Confederation Champions League.”
Wawens coach Bob Morris said his players switched off after 40 minutes, allowing City to score at will.
He said they needed to work on their mental toughness.
“We held them with our structure in the first 40 minutes and had a few chances to score,” Morris said.
“Had we scored, it would’ve boosted our team morale.
“I noticed their weaknesses. Playing against a top club like City, who have a lot of experience, we need to maintain composure and make sure we are mentally focused.
“We were playing more physical in the second half but had a learned a lot from this match and it was good that we played City and Hekari United early.
“I will use these two matches to prepare my team for our next fixtures.
“I believe we’ll bounce back.”