The former Team Wellington frontman returned to his native Argentina in January following a family illness and it was touch and go whether he would rejoin Auckland’s ranks this season.
While coach Ramon Tribulietx is delighted to have seen the 22-year-old return, he is keen to emphasise the squad’s collective strengths ahead of the do-or-die showdown with Tefana in the second leg of the 2012 O-League final on Saturday (Tahiti time).
“I believe in the strength of the team as a whole and it’s that aspect that will give us the chance to win this game. But when Emiliano was with us, he was one of our key players,” Tribulietx says.
“He can convert chances when they come along. In some respects we’ve missed that, so it’s great to have him back. He’s been training regularly in Argentina so is available just in case we need him to play.”
City beat their Tahitian rivals 2-1 at Kiwitea Street in Auckland a fortnight ago in the first leg of the final thanks to goals from David Mulligan and Daniel Koprivcic but the concession of an away goal leaves their hopes hanging by a thread.
“We don’t want to take on the tag of favourites because there are a number of factors going against us here,” Tribulietx says. “We’re playing away from home and Tefana have quite a few strengths.”
A quick scan of the Tefana squad reveals seven of the starting line-up have international caps with Tahiti and are likely to be included in the country’s plans for the OFC Nations Cup in June.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for Tefana and the season they’ve had. They’ve recovered from a bad start to be in the final. They have a good chance to win so won’t let up for the entire match. I think it’s going to be a very tight game,” Tribulietx says.
Tefana’s season has been a roller-coaster with the club losing its domestic league title to Dragon, grabbing an O-League final berth despite a 10-0 thrashing by Waitakere United on the opening day and moving into the last four of the Coupe de Polynesie.
Coach Laurent Heinis, a former Tahitian international goalkeeper, says his side now have nothing left to lose. He believes that earlier humiliation against Waitakere actually proved to be a filip for the deposed Tahiti champions.
“The team has been exceptional since we lost that match,” Heinis says. “We could not imagine reaching the final in the first instance, so there’s no pressure on us now.”
Another factor that could swing the balance Tefana’s way is the artificial surface and mid-afternoon kick-off time. Temperatures have sat around the 27 degree celsius mark this week with the 4pm kick-off unlikely to ease Auckland’s concerns.
The Stade Louis Gavinet is also where New Zealand champions Waitakere saw their FIFA Club World Cup hopes fall apart back in February when Tefana beat them 3-0.
“We’ve played in the Pacific a lot and know the heat will be a factor,” Tribulietx says. “The ball bounces differently on the artificial turf but we have to get on with it. All we can do is give it our best shot.”
2012 O-League 2nd Leg Final
Tefana [TAH] vs. Auckland City [NZL]
Saturday 12 May
Stade Louis Ganivet
Papeete, Tahiti
Local kick-off: 4pm
Referee: Isidore ASSIENE-AMBASSA [NCL]
Assistant referee 1: Michael JOSEPH [VAN]
Assistant referee 2: Didier HMUZO [NCL]
Fourth official: Bruce GEORGE [VAN]
Tefana: 23. Xavier SAMIN [GK], 2. Stephane FAATIARAU, 3. Pierre KUGOGNE, 6. Heimano BOUREBARE, 7. Taufa NEUFFER, 8. Tetiamana MARMOUYET, 10. Hiva KAMOISE, 11. Jean-Claude CHANG KOEI CHANG, 12. Viritua TIAIHO, 13. Stanley ATANI, 15. Lorenzo TEHAU, 16. Sebastien LABAYEN, 17. Roihau DEGAGE, 18. Tauraa MARMOUYET, 19. Alvin TEHAU, 20. Axel WILLIAMS, 21. Angelo TCHEN, 25. Leonce ROOMETUA [GK]
Coach: Laurent HEINIS
Auckland City: 1. Jacob SPOONLEY [GK], 3. Ian HOGG, 5. Angel BERLANGA, 6. Chad COOMBES, 7. James PRITCHETT, 8. David MULLIGAN, 9. Manel EXPOSITO, 10. Luis CORRALES, 11. Daniel KOPRIVCIC, 12. Tamati WILLIAMS [GK], 13. Alex FENERIDIS, 14. Adam DICKINSON, 15. Ivan VICELICH, 16. Albert RIERA, 17. Adam McGEORGE, 20. Emiliano TADE, 21. Ivan RUIZ, 22. Andrew MILNE
Coach: Ramon TRIBULIETX

Share