Lae City hammer Wawens

The National Sports
Awi helps reigning champions leapfrog Vitiaz into equal first

By LARRY ANDREW
LAE City’s Alu Awi scored a first-half double to help the Kumul Petroleum National Soccer League defending champions beat Morobe Wawens 5-1 at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium on Saturday.
The third-round fixture was equally contested in the opening stages as Wawens and City had near misses on goal.

Lae City midfielder Alu Awi in action against Morobe Wawens in round three of the Kumul Petroleum National Soccer league at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium on Saturday. City won 5-1. – Nationalpic by LARRY ANDREW

Goalkeepers Jason Bendi (Wawens) and Ishmael Maddang (City) were kept busy in the only Lae fixture of the weekend.
Lae Biscuit Company-sponsored City were put to the test but Wawens’ high-intensity football soon found them tiring, allowing the Peter Gunemba-coached side room to move.
City captain Raymond Gunemba put a through ball for midfielder Awi to open the scoring in the 43rd minute.
Awi caught his former teammates napping when he scored his second goal in the 45th minute with Raymond Gunemba providing the assist to extend City’s lead.
Nigel Dabinyaba, in his first match of the season, scored City’s third goal two minutes into the second half.
In the 71st minute, right-back Philip Steven headed in City’s fourth goal from a corner kick and two minutes later, substitute Emmanuel Airem capped of the win with their fifth in slippery conditions.
Wawens scored a consolation goal in the 90th minute via a Barthy Kerobin free kick after Peter Dabinyaba Jr was adjudged to have handled the ball a metre outside City’s penalty arc.
The win sees City leapfrog Vitiaz United into joint competition leaders alongside Hekari United. Like the defending champions and last season’s runners-up, Vitiaz have three straight wins but the rookies have an inferior points differential.
Lae City 5 (Alu Awi 2, Nigel Dabinyaba, Philip Steven, Emmanuel Airem) Morobe Wawens 1 (Barthy Kerobin). Halftime scores: 2-0 at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium, Lae.
Results: Star Mountain 2 Morobe United 2, Hekari United 2 Gulf Komara 0, Bougainville 0 Tusbab Stallions 2, Kutubu 1 Vitiaz United 2, Morobe Wawens 1 Lae City 5.