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2007
Group One
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AS
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AC
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WU
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Pts
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Pos
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Group Two
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AS
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B
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M
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Pts
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Pos
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AS Mont Dore
New Caledonia
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0-2
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0-3
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0
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3rd
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AS Temanava
Tahiti
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1-1
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2-1
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4
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2nd
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Auckland City
New Zealand
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4-0
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2-2
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8
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2nd
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Ba
Fiji
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1-0
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3-2
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10
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1st
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Waitakere United
New Zealand
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6-1
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2-2
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8
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1st
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Marist FC
Solomon Islands
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2-0
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0-2
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3
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3rd
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FINAL
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Ba
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2-1
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0-1
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Waitakere United
2-2 on aggregate - away goals rule
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The 2007 O-League Review
by Jeremy Ruane
Auckland City kicked off the inaugural Oceania Football Confederation O-League with a hard-earned 2-0 win over AS Mont Dore in the heat of a Noumean Saturday afternoon on January 20, as the newly formatted competition to determine Oceania's representative in December's FIFA Club World Cup Finals play-off against the Japanese champions in Japan got under way.
Two goals from Paul Urlovic, one from the penalty spot after the New Caledonian team's goalkeeper was sent off for a professional foul, set City up for their visit to cross-town rivals Waitakere United four days later.
Goals from Danny Hay and Commins Menapi had the home team on course for victory by the time the fifty-minute mark was reached in this Douglas Field encounter, but as they had done just before Christmas against their arch-rivals in the NZ Football Championship, City came storming back.
Urlovic curled home a 73rd minute gem to set up a grandstand finish, which Grant Young confirmed with his late leveller to clinch a 2-2 draw for the much-travelled visitors.
AS Mont Dore were the next team to gain some airpoints, but they endured little joy from their visit to the Queen City. Goals from Menapi (two), Hoani Edwards, Jeff Campbell, Allan Pearce and Daniel Koprivcic saw Waitakere swamp the visitors 6-1 at Fred Taylor Park.
Patrick Diaike provided the lone moment of joy in that match for a team who, three days later, slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Kiwitea Street, a brace apiece from Young and Bryan Little the source of Auckland's pleasure.
Waitakere flew to Noumea in late March and returned home having recorded a 3-0 win over Mont Dore, thanks to goals from Menapi, Mike Gwyther and Craig Wylie. This set up a winner-take-all encounter against their arch-rivals, Auckland, at Kiwitea Street, a match the West Aucklanders could afford to draw thanks to their superior goal difference.
Keryn Jordan put City in front after twenty minutes, but within fifteen minutes, United had taken the lead, Koprivcic twice hitting the target to leave the home team needing to score twice to win.
Despite having Riki Van Steeden sent off, they managed to pull one goal back in stoppage time - Jordan the marksman, but the 2-2 draw wasn't suffice to enable City to retain their O-League crown. Instead, the Grand Final will feature Waitakere and Ba, the team which prevailed from Group B.
With the first round of matches in this group deferred due to unforeseen transportation troubles, the Fijians became the first team to hit the road when they trekked to Marist FC in mid-February.
How do you silence 17,000 Solomon Islanders in Honiara? Goals either side of half-time from Osea Vakatalesau and goalkeeper Laisenia Tuba, from the penalty spot, proved a useful means for Ba, as they recorded a 2-0 win and put themselves in the box seat.
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A 1-1 draw in Papeete against AS Temanava gave the Fijians the inside running for the O-League Final berth, Roneel Kumar's goal for the visitors countered by Jean Francois Kabeu's penalty twelve minutes from time in a match which saw a player from each team sent off.
Marist's travels proved fruitless, defeats in both matches eliminating them from finals contention. Another Tuba penalty and two Keni Doidoi goals had Ba 3-0 up and cruising three minutes into the second half in Fiji, but a late rally saw Marist close to within a goal of their rivals, thanks to Joe Luwi's strike and an own goal from Doidoi.
Marist then journeyed to Tahiti, where they were downed 2-1 by Temanava's ten men. The home team went ahead through Roberto Poiroi, only for Luwi to level matters before the half-hour. Maheanu Araparii's penalty restored Temanava's advantage just shy of the hour mark, and they held out for the three points they needed to set up a must-win game in Fiji.
The crunch encounter at Ba's Govind Park was abandoned after ten minutes due to a waterlogged pitch, so arrangements were hastily made to play the game at Lautoka's Churchill Park twenty-four hours later. There was one goal in it, and to the delight of the locals, Tuimasi Manuca struck eighteen minutes from time to clinch Ba's place in the inaugural O-League Grand Final in April.
The final match in Group B was of academic interest only, but Marist's desire to avoid playing off for their place in the 2008 O-League earned them a 2-0 victory over Temanava in Honiara, goals early in the second half from Luwi and James Naka seeing the Solomon Islanders home, even though they concluded the game with ten men.
The two-legged final saw Ba enjoying home advantage first, and over 10,000 fans piled into Govind Park to watch the locals conquer Waitakere 2-1.
Ronald Chandra gave the Fijian champions an eighth minute lead, but Commins Menapi levelled matters early in the second half with a priceless away goal.
Josaia Bukalidi restored Ba's advantage fifteen minutes from time, but Menapi rattled the crossbar in the remaining minutes, and Waitakere had a goal controversially disallowed, meaning they had to win the second leg to win the trophy at Mt. Smart Stadium.
This they did, Allan Pearce's goal ten minutes into the second half securing a win by away goals rule for the nine men, George Suri and Craig Wylie being sent off in the second half of a match in which Ba squandered several opportunities to become Oceania's champions.
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