FTF, Papeete: Tahitian club champion Pirae was defeated 0-3 by Manu Ura in a surprise upset in the third round of the Federal Championship playoffs.
Pirae were outplayed from the start and coach Gerard Kautai, who is close to selecting Tahiti’s national team for the World Cup qualifiers in May, admitted his more fancied charges were given a technical lesson by Manu Ura.
Patrick Diaike and Ramon Djamali were the two best players for Manu Ura with Djamali bagging two goals. Tahitian national captain Tetahio Auraa also scored.
The win opens up the race for the 2003-04 championship which was expected to a one-horse race. In the other playoff result, Tefana beat Tamarii Faa’a 3-1 to also throw their hat into the race.
In the promotion relegation playoffs, AS Dragon thrashed Arue 9-0 while PTT managed an upset 1-0 win over Venus.
Championship Playoffs – Points Ladder
Teams Pts P W D L F A Diff
1. Manu Ura 9 3 2 0 1 8 2 +6
2. Tefana 9 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2
3. Pirae 9 3 2 0 1 5 4 +1
4. Tam. Faa’a 3 3 0 0 3 3 12 -9
Key: win 4 pts, draw 2 pts, defeat 1 pt
Round 4 draw:
Pirae-Tamarii Faa’a
Manu Ura-Tefana