Lae nail finals spot
The National, Monday May 12th, 2014
By HENRY MORABANG
NEWCOMERS Lae has secured a spot in the National Soccer League semi-finals next week with a 4-0 win over visiting Eastern Stars at Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium in Lae on Saturday.
Played in front of the partisan Morobe crowd, Lae showed no mercy kicking four good goals to consolidate their claim for the spot in the playoffs which kick off this weekend.
Other teams who have confirmed their spot include Hekari, Oro and Morobe United.
Hekari showed their class beating an equally determined Gigira Laitepo-sponsored Morobe 3-1 in the opening match of the double header in Lae.
After 1-1 half time score, the Red Devils were more determined with former Morobe players, Raymond Gunemba and Nigel Dabinyaba scoring goals to get the defending champions the win.
Seven minutes before full time, the match was disrupted when Morobe supporters chased a Hekari fan in front of the grand stand and this sparked another incident on the other side of the field when Morobe fans attacked Hekari fans.
However, it was the quick intervention of Lae-based Police mobile squad that had diffused the situation and brought the situation under control. Hekari team management was disappointed as two-middle age Morobe supporters kept on chasing the lone Hekari supporter on to their bench while the game was still on.
Hekari were leading 3-1 at that time. The referee stopped the match for safety reasons and resumed the match after everything was brought under control.
It all started when two Lae players playing for Hekari, Gunemba and Dabinyaba continued their good form to score against their former team mates.
Hekari’s Vonnie Kapi Natto had earlier written to the NSL management regarding security for visiting teams, but she did not receive a positive response.
Morobe supporter Graham Narakou, who was at the scene on the other side of the field, said Hekari fans provoked Morobe fans by baiting them and also making bad signs when Gunemba and Dabinyaba scored.
In the other NSL games in Port Moresby, Admiralty saved their best for last when they beat Besta 3-1.