Bula FC stun Auckland FC to make OFC Pro League top four

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fiji’s Bula FC upset OFC Pro League leaders Auckland FC 2-1 in Ba and made it into the competition’s top four group in the process.

Sterling Vasconcellos opened the scoring in the 14th minute, before Roy Krishna added another in the 35th minute to put Bula FC up 2-0.

Auckland pegged one back through Emiliano Tade going into the half-time break, and that was how the game ended.

Bula FC forward Setareki Hughes credited teamwork and the belief in the team through their faith.

“We always have that belief in us as a team that we can [make] the impossible possible, only with God [who] is there with us – that is why we came out victorious,” he said.

“Coming into today’s game we were just looking for the three points.”

The result was the second upset of the last day of round five, with PNG Hekari FC claiming only their second win in the competition when they pipped South Melbourne FC 2-1 earlier in the day.

Friday’s games saw Tahiti United defeat Vanuatu United FC 1-0, and South Island United beat the Solomon Kings 2-1.

Teams will now move to Auckland for the play-offs in May, where the top four teams – Auckland FC, South Melbourne FC, Bula FC and South Island United – will compete in the leaders’ group.

The bottom four teams – Solomon King FC, Tahiti United, Vanuatu FC and PNG Hekari FC – will go into the challengers’ group.

Those fixtures kick off in Auckland on 6 May, with a semifinal play-off on 17 May, semifinals on 20 May and the OFC Pro League final on 24 May.

All matches will be played across two venues in Auckland – Go Media Stadium (Mt Smart) and Eden Park.

Auckland FC still have one match to play – a rescheduled round-three fixture with South Island United in Ba on Tuesday afternoon.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand