Going into the match, the west Aucklanders had already booked themselves a place in the semi-finals but needed three points to make certain of coming first and were able to do so thanks to a late winner from Ryan De Vries.
Waitakere are joined in progressing through to the semi-finals from Group B by arch rivals Auckland City, who earned second place at the expense of Dragon after drawing 1-1 with the Tahitians in Papeete tonight.
Auckland will now go on to meet Fijian side Ba – the only undefeated team in the competition – in the semi-finals while Waitakere will face Vanuatu outfit Amicale.
Waitakere got off to the perfect start in their quest to top the group as English import Chris Palmer found the net in the opening minute to give his side a very early lead.
Mont-Dore, who were desperate for a positive result after picking up only one point from their entire campaign, managed to find a way back into the game when Loic Bessieres struck on 36 minutes to send the teams into the sheds at 1-1.
The hosts found themselves behind again shortly after the break though when Solomon Islands referee Gerald Oiaka pointed to the spot and Palmer stepped up to slot home his second goal of the afternoon and his third of the season.
But Mont-Dore again refused to lie down and equalised for the second time through New Caledonia U-20 internarional Jean-Pierre Bob on 66 minutes.
Waitakere were not to be denied though and finally put Mont-Dore’s spirited challenge to bed when Ryan De Vries produced what proved to be the winner in the 78th minute with a goal later described as world-class by coach Paul Marshall.
The feat of Marshall’s men in scoring three times away from home was made even more impressive by the fact that key attackers Roy Krishna and Allan Pearce were unavailable due to suspension while defender Brian Shelley was out through injury.
“We were missing a few players tonight but we have a deep squad and were still able to get the job done,” Marshall said.
“I think everyone was a bit confused about Mont-Dore after Auckland beat them 12-2 as the reality is that they have only had one bad half in six games – the second half of that Auckland match was only 3-2. They are a very competitive side and it was a tough game. It is a fantastic effort to come out on the top of the group when you consider the start we had to the season.”
Waitakere’s reward for finishing top of Group B is a meeting with Amicale, the second-placed team in Group A, and they will have the advantage of playing at home in the second leg. The first leg will take place at Port Vila Stadium in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on May 4 while the second will be held at Trusts Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, on May 12.

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