Defending champions of the Vodafone Fiji FACT – Shop n Save Nadi had to rely on a late second half swipe to overcome a plucky Navua outfit in the opening match of the 2014 tournament at Ratu Cakobau Park this afternoon.
Playing under slippery conditions on a soggy pitch, Shop n Save Nadi found the going tough while Navua controlled majority of the possession early on.
Nadi’s Vuniuci Tikomaimereke, Amani Makoe and Mataisi Toma conceded consecutive yellow cards before Samuela Drudru netted the winner in the 86th minute of play.
Navua coach Saiyad Ali was gracious in defeat and mentioned he was proud of his teams performance despite not playing competitive football for over 2 months.
He said there were a lot of positives to take from the match for his boys.
Kamal Swamy, the Shop n Save Nadi coach said 3 points were crucial in the first match.
“We scored late which gave Navua very little time to grab an equaliser. Some yellow card calls were 50/50 and this can hurt us into the later stages of the tournament,” he added.
Meanwhile Shop n Save Nadi’s Jone Salauneune was stretchered off in the first half which puts his Fiji FACT campaign in a limbo. Nadi plays All Freight Logistics Suva tomorrow while Navua locks horns with the Baby Blues.
