By Shane Saroya – EM TV Sports, Port Moresby
The University of Papua New Guinea Soccer Association (UPNGSA) hosted its football finals over the weekend.
In the women’s division, Phoenix took on Morobe United, while in the men’s division it was an experienced All Blacks taking on Yarangs United.
Kick starting the afternoon, the battle of the UPNGSA’s top two female division teams, who had kept their winning streaks throughout the 2015 season, ultimately earned their place in the grand final showdown.
The Phoenix in blue taking on the never say die Morobe United in green. It was an all-out battle, with the hustle and tussle of the ball in the first half both teams were levelled at 1-1.
In the second half the Phoenix came out hard, holding the game on Morobe United’s half, with their forwards putting pressure on Morobe’s back line. And when the sun was at its peak, the scorching heat began to take its toll.
In the latter stages of the game, a Phoenix forward pulled off a stunner on the blind side to take the lead, 2-1, and was good enough to hold on til the final hooter.
The men’s final was another top of the table clash between a spirited Yarangs United side and the AROB’s All Blacks in a trilling and hard fought match.
The All Blacks kept pushing up front with their faster forwards and the pressure was on the team in blue to defend their territory. And again, Yarangs defence was able to hold them off going into the break.
Yarangs came out all guns blazing in the second half with their lead strikers Garrison Karin and Joel Gedisa questioning the All Blacks line time and time again, but failed to make the shots count. The All Blacks kept their calm and held their line of defence and stuck to their game plan.
The whistle was blown midway through the second half after a Yarangs defender was red carded for foul play. That didn’t go well with Yarangs fans and much to their dismay in the final minutes of the game; the All Blacks struck the final blow to silence the Yarangs 2-0.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=RSZnhjFrqE8%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
