The first match of the opening round took place on October 22 between Marist Fire and Hana but the latter’s 3-0 win that day was overturned due to a technicality and the fixture was replayed before the Malaita Kingz-Real Kakamora game. Hana again scored three goals to win but Marist gave a better account of themselves this time, notching two strikes to lose 3-2.
The first half ended goalless but the second spell saw Hana go in front through a 67-minute Trevor Suinao goal. Marist levelled with a Richard Tolinao strike in the 81st minute though and were in front within two minutes when Henry To’o displayed excellent control before blasting a shot past Hana goalkeeper Leon Fox.
The celebrations were already starting in the Marist camp as the clock ticked into injury time but Hana weren’t done yet and broke Marist hearts with two goals in the final seconds, from Moussa Kourouma and Remarx Kwaria, to win the match in dramatic fashion.
Hana coach Rex Masuaku admitted he thought the game was up in the dying minutes and was surprised to see his team come away with the victory.
“Marist played strongly and the match was in the balance until the final minute,” he said. “We could have scored more if we had taken all our chances but I give credit to my players for not giving in to frustration despite the pressure they were under in the last 10 minutes.”
One of the most noteworthy results of the round occured earlier, however, when Koloale’s preparations for their O-League meeting with Auckland City suffered a blip with a surprise 2-1 loss against Solomon Warriors.
The clash was a repeat of last year’s final and a huge crowd turned up at Lawson Tama Stadium to witness the action. The fans had to wait until the second half to see any goals though as neither side was able to get the better of the other in the first period.
When a goal finally did arrive, it was not at the end most would have expected, the underdog Warriors going ahead when Dennis Ifunaoa latched onto a long pass and dispatched the ball past goalkeeper Eddie Ramo. Things went further south for Koloale when Micah Lea’alafa’s speculative shot from the touchline sailed over Ramo and into the net for a shock 2-0 lead.
Koloale fought hard to get back into the game and finally got on the scoresheet with a minute to go when Benjamin Totori swivalled past three defenders before rifling home. But it was a case of too little, too late and Warriors hung on for a memorable win.
Placed third and fourth respectively last season, the meeting between Kossa and Western United was also likely to be a match worth watching and the six-goal thriller did not fail to live up to expectations.
Western struck first when Nathan Kera turned home a pass in only the fourth minute but Kossa equalised just before half time through Hudson Felani. Western took the lead again in the second half through a Commins Menapi penalty but Kossa levelled once more with a Harrison Mala strike moments later.
Western would not be denied though and Menapi found the net twice more to earn himself a hat-trick and secure the win for his team.
Real Kakamora and Malaita Kingz were the two clubs that kicked off the inaugural season of the Telekom S-League in February and Malaita were the better team on that occasion. But they were lucky to escape with a win this time around after Real Kakamora put in a vastly improved showing.
Malaita did manage to take a two-goal lead thanks to a double from Charles Irobina but Real Kakamora replied in the 80th minute through Johan Doiwale to set up a nervous finale for Malaita.
Telekom S-League 2011/12
Round One results:
Malaita Kingz 2 – 1 Real Kakamora
Marist Fire 2 – 3 Hana
Western United 4 – 2 Kossa
Solomon Warriors 2 – 1 Koloale
Round Two fixtures:
Kossa vs Hanna
November 5
Koloale vs Malaita Kingz
November 5
Solomon Warriors vs Western United
November 6
Real Kakamora vs Marist Fire
November 6
All matches will be played at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara.
For more on Solomon Islands football go to www.siff.com.sb

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