Nawaeb topple Morobe

By LARRY ANDREW
GAME three of the National Premier League Northern Conference over the weekend was a thriller, as competition leaders Morobe United  were humbled by Nawaeb FC 1-0.
In the first match, Laiwaden held off Bulolo FC 1-0 while Markham FC overcame Lahi United in the second quarter of their match to win 2-1.
The win by the Markham district-sponsored team has thrown wide the competition in its early stages.
Coach Hans German Gewebing was full of praise for his players after the match.
He said their loss to Nawaeb in game one was a wakeup call as the team had just been put in place but improved in the last two matches.
Markham FC last week beat Bulolo FC 2-1 and repeated the dose against city team Lahi.
He said the core of the team were raw talents from Azera in Umi-Atzera LLG area while three were experience players — former Morobe United duo Jonah Kera and Paul Waikisa, and Danny Kevin from Besta United.
The main match of the NPL Northern Conference between Morobe and Nawaeb was evenly-contested.
However at the 26th minute, Joshua Oscar copped a red card after getting two yellow cards, leaving his side with 10 men against Nawaeb.
The game see-sawed with Nawaeb dominating the match as captain Eliud Fugre controlling the midfield.
Nawaeb had chances to score but United’s defenders  were up to the task of denying their opponents.
Morobe had their share of chances to score but patience was one area that was lacking.
Players from both teams were at times cautioned by the referee for infringements on the field. The opportunity arrived at the right time for Nawaeb from a penalty that saw the ball taken into the United’s goalmouth for replacement Sammy Hiob to score.  The 74th minute goal from Hiob gave his side the edge to defend for the last 16 minutes to come out winners. This weekend’s matches will be played at Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium and enthusiastic soccer supporters and fans in Lae are encouraged to go and support their teams.