Naime Steers Hekari to OFC Decider

Rex Namie’s solo goal powered the Hekari United FC to the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Men’s Champions League Grand Final following a gritty 1-0 victory over New Caledonia’s AS Tiga Sport in the Semi-final yesterday (April 9th) at the National Stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

Hekari will taste their first OFC decider since clinching the tournament in 2010. The current coach Jerry Allen propelled the MRDC-sponsored club to their first championship glory in 2010 and 15 years later, he will lead PNG’s reigning back-to-back champions (2023-2024) to another title chase when they go head-to-head with the Auckland City FC in the big dance on Saturday, April 12th.

On the contrary, the AS Tiga Sport of New Caledonia have made their maiden appearance in the OFC finals. Although their chance of reaching the grand final has come to an end, they’ve made history by playing in the semi-final for the first time and capping off their campaign on a bittersweet note. 

In a high-stakes match, both sides rose to the occasion and showcased a slugfest contest. After 26 minutes of intense battle, Brazilian import Lucas Santos placed an inch-perfect shot outside of the 70-meter line, which found flanker Rex Naime run to meet the ball, with the AS Tiga Sport player tailing him, but Naime managed to dribble past him and draw the goalkeeper to score the goal, leaving the half-time margin at 1-0.

The arm wrestle reached its peak in the second half as both teams strutted their stuff and fought to exert their dominance. The goals came begging for the AS Tiga Sport a few times to equalize the goal, but the determined Hekari’s relentlessness to defend their line paid off, helping them to shrug off the fast-finishing New Caledonians to book their second OFC grand final. 

When it came to crunch time, the utility Naime responded to the SOS call and scored the match-winner. He played a pivotal role and stole the limelight, powering the Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions (Hekari) to their second decider. Cometh the hour, cometh the Central rising star. 

Hekari are on the cusp of making history in claiming their second title in the final edition of OFC before it transitions to Pro-League next year. It will be a daunting task for the Jerry Allen-coached outfit to face the twelve-time OFC champions (Auckland City FC), but the Reds are primed for a challenge to prove their worth on the biggest stage. 

PC: OFC