OFCCL | Semi-Final Leg 2 Marist vs. Lautoka

OFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2018 QUALIFIER 20 January Tupapa Maraerenga

Veitongo FC

1-0 1-1

23 January Veitongo FC

Pago Youth

2-9 Tupapa Maraerenga 1-13 Lupe Ole Soaga

26 January Lupe Ole Soaga

Pago Youth

6-0 0-5

Veitongo FC Tupapa Maraerenga

Lupe Ole Soaga Pago Youth

CLUB

MP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

Tupapa Maraerenga

3

3

0

0

15

2

13

9

2

Lupe Ole Soaga

3

2

0

1

19

2

17

6

3

Veitongo FC

3

0

1

2

3

16

-13

1

4

Pago Youth

3

0

1

2

2

19

-17

1

GROUP A | KORMAN STADIUM, PORT VILA 10 February Tupapa Maraerenga

Nalkutan FC

2-7 1-0

Lae City Dwellers Ba FC

13 February Lae City Dwellers

Tupapa Maraerenga

1-0 0-4

Ba FC Nalkutan FC

16 February Ba FC

Lae City Dwellers

4-1 1-4

Tupapa Maraerenga Nalkutan FC

CLUB

MP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

Nalkutan FC

3

3

0

0

9

1

8

9

2

Lae City Dwellers

3

2

0

1

9

6

3

6

3

Ba FC

3

1

0

2

4

3

1

3

4

Tupapa Maraerenga

3

0

0

3

3

15

-12

0

GROUP B | STADE PATER, PAPEETE 11 February Erakor Golden Star

AS Dragon

2-0 Solomon Warriors 4-0 AS Lossi

14 February Solomon Warriors

Erakor Golden Star

6-1 AS Lossi 3-4 AS Dragon

17 February AS Lossi

Solomon Warriors

2-2 Erakor Golden Star 2-1 AS Dragon

CLUB

MP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

AS Dragon

3

2

0

1

9

5

4

6

2

Solomon Warriors

3

2

0

1

8

4

4

6

3

Erakor Golden Star

3

1

1

1

7

6

1

4

4

AS Lossi

3

0

1

2

3

12

-9

1

GROUP C | TRUSTS STADIUM, AUCKLAND 25 February Lautoka FC

AS Venus

3-1 Madang FC 0-7 Auckland City FC

28 February AS Venus 1-2 Lautoka FC

Auckland City FC 5-0 Madang FC 3 March

Madang FC 1-2 AS Venus Auckland City FC 1-0 Lautoka FC

CLUB

MP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

Auckland City FC

3

3

0

0

13

0

13

9

2

Lautoka FC

3

2

0

1

5

3

2

6

3

AS Venus

3

1

0

2

3

10

-7

3

4

Madang FC

3

0

0

3

2

10

-8

0

GROUP D | LAWSON TAMA STADIUM, HONIARA 24 February AS Magenta

Marist FC

2-0 Lupe Ole Soaga 1-1 Team Wellington

27 February Team Wellington

Marist FC

7-1 Lupe Ole Soaga 1-1 AS Magenta

2 March

5-1 AS Magenta 1-3 Marist FC

Team Wellington Lupe Ole Soaga

CLUB

MP

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

Team Wellington

3

2

1

0

13

3

10

7

2

Marist FC

3

1

2

0

5

3

2

5

3

AS Magenta

3

1

1

1

4

6

-2

4

4

Lupe Ole Soaga

3

0

0

3

2

12

-10

0

QUARTER FINALS 7 April

Team Wellington

11-0 Lae City Dwellers

Nalkutan FC

1-2 Marist FC

AS Dragon

1-2 Lautoka FC

8 April

Auckland City FC 2-0 Solomon Warriors

SEMI-FINALS LEG 1 22 April LEG 2 29 April

Lautoka FC 1-1 Marist FC

Team Wellington 0-0 Auckland City FC

Auckland City FC _-_ Team Wellington

Marist FC _-_ Lautoka FC

FINAL LEG 1 12 or 13 May

Winner SF 2 _-_ Winner SF 1

LEG 2 19 or 20 May

Winner SF 1 _-_ Winner SF 2

TEAM LISTS

SUBSTITUTIONS:

SUBSTITUTIONS:

ON ON ON

ON ON ON

Coach: Jerry ALLEN [SOL[ Assistant Coach: Jerry SAM [SOL]

Coach: Kamal SWAMY [FIJ] Assistant Coach: Aginesh PRASAD [FIJ]

OFF OFF OFF

OFF OFF OFF

FRIENDS AND FOES

By Philip LILOMO

It’s what every football fan wants to see - the biggest players going head-to-head. In Solomon Islands, they don’t come any bigger than Marist FC’s Henry Fa’arodo Junior and Lautoka FC’s Benjamin Totori.

Totori is one of the region’s most feared strikers.

He has set the benchmark for goal scoring in the OFC Champions League over the course of his career, and has rediscovered something like his best form just at the right time for the Fijian side.

Marist FC, meanwhile, have placed their hopes in their captain Fa’arodo, one time winner of the competition and Solomon Islands’ football inspiration, as they chase Oceania glory which has thus far eluded the football mad nation.

Both players have had some of their best days in the OFC Champions League playing side by side together at Koloale FC

and later with Western United.

Fa’arodo and Totori helped Koloale reach the final of the regional competition, then known as the O-League, during the 2008/9 season against Auckland City where they were beaten 7-2 at home but responded with a 2-2 draw in the return leg at Kiwitea Street.

Lautoka signed Totori at the start of the campaign for one key reason - experience up front. He has bolstered their attack and rewarded his new side for placing their confidence in him, by being directly involved in many of their goals so far.

And Fa’arodo is well aware of the threat

Totori can be for Marist’s back four of Michael Boso, Joachim Waroi, Koriak Upaiga and Robert Laua.

Fa’arodo admits his relatively young Marist side must be cautious when playing against Lautoka and Totori.

“For me, Benji will be a threat to us,” the Marist skipper said.

“We know what he is capable of. He is the current Champions League overall top goal scorer, that speaks for itself.

“So for me, Benji will be someone we will be wary of,” Fa’arodo said of his former international teammate.

Totori, on the other hand, holds a deep amount of respect for Fa’arodo, who was already an established member of the Solomon Islands national team when Totori made his debut in 2007.

The striker is excited about the prospect of sharing the football pitch with his compatriot again, only this time on opposing sides.

“I’m very much excited to see my brother once again on the pitch.

Totori, who won the title with former club Waitakere United in 2007-08, said the team that want it most will reach the final.

“I think Lautoka can go forward if we keep believing and playing like we have been so far.

“But at the end of the day it won’t be easy because both teams want to win and Marist is a good team as well.

“I believe the team that is most disciplined in executing its game plan and want it most will win.

“But we (Lautoka) have a really good team,” he said.

Although he has a four goal lead on Auckland City’s Emiliano Tade with 23 goals in the competition, Totori said he’s not chasing any personal glory.

“I just need to concentrate on how I will help the team, not my scoring record,” Totori insisted.

“Because if I think too much about that scoring record it will affect my game.

“We always share a lot about football and we are like brothers.

“To be honest I would really want to score more goals because that’s what I’m good at.

“We both know that when its game time it’s time for business and I have so much respect for Henry,” Totori said.

“But I believe if I keep on playing like this and work hard then the goals will come, I will score,” he said.

“Playing my fellow countrymen won’t be easy because they (Marist) are a good team as well to reach this far. So I respect them and every game in the competition is not easy,” he added.

Marist FC welcome Lautoka FC to Honiara for Leg 2 of the OFC Champions League semi-finals. The first leg in Fiji ended in a 1-1 draw.

Totori believes Lautoka currently has a good squad capable of going further.

OFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HISTORY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP ERA

1999

2005

CHAMPIONS South Melbourne [AUS] RUNNERS-UP Nadi [FIJ] THIRD Central United [NZL] * FOURTH Venus [TAH] *

CHAMPIONS Sydney FC [AUS] RUNNERS-UP AS Magenta [NCL] THIRD Tafea [VAN] FOURTH AS Pirae [TAH]

2001

2006

CHAMPIONS Wollongong Wolves [AUS] RUNNERS-UP Tafea [VAN] THIRD Napier City Rovers [NZL] FOURTH Venus [TAH]

CHAMPIONS Auckland City [NZL] RUNNERS-UP AS Pirae [TAH] THIRD YoungHeart Manawatu [NZL] FOURTH Nokia Eagles [FIJ]

OFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HISTORY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ERA 2007

2009

CHAMPIONS Waitakere United [NZL] RUNNERS-UP Ba [FIJ] THIRD Auckland City [NZL] FOURTH Temanava [TAH]

CHAMPIONS Auckland City [NZL] RUNNERS-UP Koloale [SOL] THIRD Waitakere United [NZL] FOURTH Hekari United [PNG]

2008

2010

CHAMPIONS Waitakere United [NZL] RUNNERS-UP Kossa [SOL] THIRD Auckland City [NZL] FOURTH Tafea [VAN]

CHAMPIONS Hekari United [PNG] RUNNERS-UP Waitakere United [NZL] THIRD Auckland City [NZL] FOURTH Lautoka [FIJ]

2011

2015

CHAMPIONS Auckland City [NZL] RUNNERS-UP Amicale [VAN] THIRD Koloale [SOL] FOURTH Waitakere United [NZL]

CHAMPIONS Auckland City [NZL} RUNNERS-UP Team Wellington [NZL] THIRD Gaitcha [NCL] * FOURTH Ba [FIJ] *

2012

2016

CHAMPIONS Auckland City [NZL] RUNNERS-UP AS Tefana [TAH] THIRD Waitakere United [NZL] FOURTH Hekari United [PNG]

CHAMPIONS Auckland City [NZL] RUNNERS-UP Team Wellington [NZL] THIRD AS Tefana [TAH] * FOURTH AS Magenta [NCL] *

2013

2017

CHAMPIONS Auckland City [NZL] RUNNERS-UP Waitakere United [NZL] THIRD Amicale [VAN] * FOURTH Ba [FIJ] *

CHAMPIONS Auckland City [NZL] RUNNERS-UP Team Wellington [NZL] THIRD AS Magenta [NCL] * FOURTH AS Tefana [TAH] *

2014

*No Third Place Play-off

CHAMPIONS Auckland City [NZL] RUNNERS-UP Amicale [VAN] THIRD Ba [FIJ] * FOURTH Pirae [TAH] *