SYDNEY Nadro players and fans celebrate its IDC victory after a 3-1 win over Rewa at Bonnyrigg White Stadium on Sunday.

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It all came to a crushing defeat

Opinions / Analysis

Nadi's dream run up to its first Champion Versus Champion title came to a crushing defeat against Ba at Lautoka's Churchill Park.

 

The jetsetters have themselves to blame as Fiji soccer's trend setters, Ba obliterated them 2-1 in a contentious treble and final fixture, a first in the history of the competition.

 

Ba's Osea Vakatalesau was the clutch of the game, his series ending play lived up to the cliché that best players show up for big games and did he ever stood up the entitlement.

 

Vakatelesau redeemed his first leg sin-bin with the decisive goal for his side’s unprecedented 18th CVC title haul.

 

Ba certainly deserves the plaudits as they made two huge comebacks in the two earlier legs to win it all when the stake was so very high.

 

Nadi's capitan courageous for most part of the three legged series, goalkeeper BenAminio Mataniqara’s single poor judgement minutes away from the end proved colossal. Had he ridden away the corner kick, the end result would have been different, considering the spot kick had favoured jetsetters by the pundits.

 

Nadi coach, Kamal Swamy needs to sponge in some of technical and tactical lace from his opposite number, Yogendra Dutt.

 

His 3-5-2 formation simply advantaged Ba to rain terror attack on Nadi defense. I'm surprised Ba didn't end the game in the first half.

 

With that style, something was to give and as some of soccer's know how's agree, Swamy’s very formation harpooned his own. He made his side play chase for good part of the first half. Swamy failed and you bet he did miserably.

 

Worst yet, the formation had one level headed foreign network commentator say "Nadi appeared lost while Ba is dominating the play”.

 

Riten Gosai said Swamy's decision to sit midfielder, William Valentine was a no brainer.

 

Swamy as Gosai put it was game watching more so making calls that mattered the most.

 

“How smart is it to tryout a new style and start your marquee off the bench, what form of tactical move is that and what was Swamy trying to proof”, he asked.

 

“Isn’t it a fair take to send in your best and play the pattern that the team is comfortable with then test out options for the biggest game of the series”,

 

William’s inclusion he says in the latter stages of the first spell along with the reversal to 3-4-3 worked much to Nadi's style.

 

“The reversal formation in the second half worked and Nadi was on forefoot raining attack”.

 

Gosai said had Nadi used the opportunities, they wouldn’t have won the third and deciding fixture but buried the 18 year old hatchet.

 

He said Rusi Matirerega, Napolinio Qasevakatini, Uraia Loki, Munit and Rahul Krishna all missed neat sitters.

 

Ba was lucky! Simply lucky and much is attributed to Nadi goalkeeper BenAminio Matniqara's poor judgement that averted Nadi its first ever CVC crown.

 

Ba’s rampant first half display had Mavaliko Nakama pounce on the lone opportunity for the lead. Nadi though, made amends on Uraia Loki’s goal for the equalizer before the half time break but that’s the closest they got.

 

William Valentine’s calculated delivery and Loki’s nifty nudge was short on frenzy versus master assassin Vakatalesau’s, which send an euphoric rush among the followers at Churchill Park and in homes of the proverbial champions world over

 

It will be an interesting season for both the team for they’ve established a level of camaraderie. They have the OFC Champions League, the three Fiji FA tournaments and national soccer league to look forward to.

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