The Hekari United Football Club defeated the Port Moresby Strikers Football Club with a 2-0 victory in their first leg playoff for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Men’s Qualifier on Saturday, October 10th, at PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
In the opening half, the two teams displayed a very competitive performance. They had equal ball possession and field territory and made a few attempts to open up the game, but the delivery from both sides were poor. The arm-wrestle continued until the half-time siren sounded, leaving the score at nil-all.
The second half was a different ball game, as Hekari found their groove and dominated the match. The 2023 Premier Soccer League (PSL) Men’s Champions flexed their muscles, scoring two goals and putting the courageous Strikers to sleep.
Hekari’s coach, David Muta, said he was proud of his men’s performance, who played well and executed the game plan.
“I think the boys played according to our game plan. It’s all about ball movement and keeping the possession. I think our boys executed what we wanted, so I give credit back to the players. Because of their hard work and what they learnt during the week; they’ve executed that today,” coach Muta said.
“The Strikers had a couple of chances, but they didn’t score any goals. We made use of our chances and scored two goals to win the game.”
Despite winning the first leg of the OFC qualifier, Muta said they still had a lot of work to do to complete their mission.
“We are not in the safe spot yet. There’s always a story after the second leg. We cannot relax and take the second game lightly,” Muta said.
“We have to go back and prepare, work really hard and fix the areas that need to be fixed and be ready for the next game.”
Meanwhile, the second leg of the OFC Qualifier will be played on Saturday, February 17th, at PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
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