Lautoka secured a hard-fought 3-1 victory against Navua in a tense Group A opener of the 2024 FMF Inter District Championship (IDC) at Churchill Park.
Under the guidance of coach Shivam Raj, Lautoka started strongly, dominating the first half and scoring two goals within a two-minute span. Saula Waqa opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a well-placed header from a Zibraaz Sahib free-kick. Just two minutes later, midfielder Sitiveni Cavuilagi doubled Lautoka’s lead by chipping the ball over the advancing goalkeeper Jovilisi Borisi.
Lautoka took a 2-0 lead into halftime, but Navua displayed a spirited performance in the second half, with Thomas Dunn creating several scoring opportunities. As the intensity of the match increased, the players’ tempers flared, leading to referee Neeshil Varman issuing multiple yellow cards, including a red card to Lautoka’s left-back Sakaraia Naisua after a second booking.
In a dramatic turn of events, a curled attempt by Jared Rongosulia from the Solomon Islands caused Lautoka’s veteran goalkeeper Beniamino Mateinaqara to misjudge the catch, resulting in a goal awarded to Navua and making the final ten minutes highly tense.
However, just before the end of the match, Lautoka secured their victory with a long clearance from Mateinaqara, which was expertly controlled by Sairusi Nalaubu, who then outpaced Borisi to score the final goal.
Looking ahead, Navua will face their neighbors Flick Hygiene Suva in their next match at 2 PM tomorrow, while Lautoka will play against Extra Supermarket Labasa in the feature match of Day 2 at 8 PM.