Southern Youth surprise Central Dabaris in NSL

SOUTHERN Youth pulled off surprise win to topple Central Dabaris 3-1 during round four of the National Soccer League Southern Conference in Port Moresby on Saturday.
Youth were the first get on the scoreboard five minutes in with Kalai Maneka scoring to set the pace for the development side at Papua New Guinea Football Stadium.
An infringement in Youth’s backline saw a free kick awarded to the Dabaris with midfielder Ryan Gerega converting for a 1-1 stalemate at halftime.
But Youth retook the lead 10 minutes into the second half with skipper Ezekiel Vela scoring from a free kick for a 2-1 lead as the Dabaris’ defence began to buckle under pressure.
The match swung into an even tussle with fatigue setting in to cause both sides to miss crucial opportunities on goal.
The Dabaris’ defence continued to buckle under pressure with Maneka breaking through to set up substitute forward Jalam Millis for their third goal 15 minutes from fulltime to seal the win.
Youth coach Mathew Witu said it was a relief for his side to get a win following their 0-4 loss to Hekari in round three.
“We were really prepared after playing Hekari and all we did after that was just concentrate on this game,” he said.
“All I kept telling them was for us to get into a good frame of mind to deliver a good result.
“We lacked in a few areas of the game but made our opportunities count and I’m pleased with our strikers who finished well.”