The Extra Supermarket Labasa football team returned to form with a 2-0 victory over Nasinu in the Digicel Fiji Premier League (DFPL) at Subrail Park on Saturday. This win secured Labasa’s position in second place on the DFPL points table.
Labasa striker Tigi Molea opened the scoring with a powerful shot from inside the 18-yard box in the first half, giving them a 1-0 lead. Young player Jone Lalagavesi added to the scoreline in the 80th minute of the match.
Coach Ravneel Pratap expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, emphasizing the importance of the win in maintaining their position in the table. He highlighted the players’ awareness of the game’s significance, especially with upcoming challenging away matches.
Labasa bounced back from a disappointing 1-1 draw against Nadi and Tailevu/Naitasiri in their previous two games and is set to face Ba in Round 17 of the DFPL on Viti Levu. Pratap noted an improvement in decision-making among his players, stating they avoided risky passes that had plagued them in earlier matches.
“Keeping a buffer ahead of other teams like Lautoka is really important,” Pratap emphasized. Lautoka currently sits third on the table and could potentially move up.
He also took a moment to congratulate Lalagavesi on scoring in his debut match for Labasa, noting, “First game at home, getting a lot of game time and scoring a goal is a big break for the youngster.”
In other results, Tailevu/Naitasiri lost 1-2 to Navua, Suva triumphed over Nadroga with a 4-0 win, Ba defeated Nadi 1-0, and Rewa bested Lautoka 2-0.