Labasa has advanced to the grand final of the Rams Group of Companies 10th Sanatan World Cup after defeating Nadi 4-2 in a penalty shootout during the second semifinal held at the Blacktown Spartan Sporting Complex in Sydney today.
Nadi, under the guidance of coach Anginesh Prasad, fielded a young team featuring district representatives such as Vishant Reddy and Nilkash Prasad. They created more scoring opportunities in the first half. Meanwhile, Labasa utilized the experience of players like brothers Anish Khem and Ashnil Raju, along with Jasnit Vikash, Matthew and Brian Charitar, Vinal Prasad, and Kirtesh Prasad, to their advantage.
With the match ending in a stalemate at 0-0 after normal time and two extra time periods, the winner was determined by penalties, where Khem made a crucial save to secure the win for Labasa.
Labasa will face off against Sydney Suva in the final at 4:30 PM. The two teams previously clashed on the tournament’s opening day, with Sydney Suva emerging victorious with a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Nickel Chand.