TAHITI –AS Tefana’s apparent invincibility continues to show no signs of weakness after its thirteenth straight Championnat D1 victory over its latest victims JT. A double from Rino Moretta and a late strike from Tinorua Temarii was enough to hand Tefana a 3-0 win over the league’s cellar dwellers and maintain their eight point lead at the top of the table.
JT battled gamely against the Coupe de Polynesie holders but the gap of some 33 competitions points was plain to see as Moretta scored after 55 minutes. JT’s hopes nosedived after going a goal down and their resistance was all but broken eleven minutes later when Moretta grabbed his second goal – his sixth of the D1 campaign.
With time running out and the result of the match all but confirmed, Tinorua Temarii added a third in the 90th minute.
AS Dragon got its D1 campaign back on track with a comprehensive 4-1 win over AS Excelsior. Dragon – eliminated from the Coupe de Polynesie by Tahiti U-20 last week – bounced back in fine style with a victory that draws them level with defending champions AS Manu Ura.
Jeremy Dubois grabbed the first of a brace in the 16th minute and Jean-Francois Tiaiho chimed in four minutes later with AS Dragon’s second goal. Excelsior – who had recorded two wins in two matches in recent times, including an eye-catching 2-1 win over AS Pirae – looked beaten by the end of the first half.
Matters grew worse for them on 55 minutes when Dubois completed his double but Maire Nui Teata threw Excelsior a glimmer of hope with a fine strike on 64 minutes. Eizo Arai capped off an enjoyable evening for Dragon fans with a fourth goal that presses their D1 title hopes – and keeps Excelsior firmly mired in the relegation battle.
Two games in four days is a tough ask for any team and that equation looked to have sapped the energy of Tahiti U-20 in a dour first half performance against AS Vaiete.
Vaiete turned in a stuffy defensive performance that left Tahiti U-20 frustrated for long periods of the first-half but Lionel Charbonnier’s team need hardly have worried. The floodgates opened in spectacular fashion in the second-half as the Egypt-bound youngsters went on a goal scoring rampage.
Goals for Stéphane Faatiarau (50’), Garry Rochette (56’), Ralph Heitaa (66’), Alvin Tehau (79’) (88’) and Ariihau Teriitau (81’) blew AS Vaiete away in a devastating exhibit of deadly finishing by Tahiti U-20. Vaiete managed to score an 89th minute equalizer through Albéric Teurua.
Hopes that ‘Les Oranges’ had turned a corner after their recent run of poor form that resulted in a Coupe de Polynesie exit and defeat at the hands of Excelsior in the league proved foundless after a demoralizing loss to AS TAC.
Hiro Labaste – one of only a handful of Pirae players currently justifying his position – struck a morale boosting 2nd minute opener. Somehow it all went wrong from there as AS TAC hit back through John Lee Tham on 35 minutes.
Pirae’s evening of misery was confirmed in the space of seven minutes in the second half when goals, the first from William Tauraa (50’), and then second by Yannick Torohia (57’) , handed TAC a 3-1 lead.
Valery Attrewe managed to pull the deficit back on 74 minutes but TAC held on for victory. Despite Pirae’s alarming loss of form, ‘Les Oranges’ should have enough points in the bank to qualify for the play-offs, but Tahiti U-20 – and now TAC – will have Labaste and his colleagues looking anxiously over their shoulders.
In the upset of the round, defending champions AS Manu Ura were knocked over by AS Tamarii Faaa, 1-0. A 49th minute goal by Richard Gueleme handed Tamarii Faaa a win that keeps its faint playoff hopes alive.
Tamarii Faaa enjoys a sizeable nine point gap over AS Vaiete in the relegation fight.
Fédération Tahitienne de Football (FTF)
Championnat D1
Standings
|
|
PL |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
PTS |
GD |
|
| 1. |
AS Tefana |
13 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
43 |
4 |
52 |
+39 |
| 2. |
AS Manu Ura |
14 |
10 |
0 |
4 |
46 |
16 |
44 |
+30 |
| 3. |
AS Dragon |
15 |
9 |
2 |
4 |
38 |
20 |
44 |
+18 |
| 4. |
AS Pirae |
15 |
8 |
2 |
5 |
33 |
19 |
41 |
+14 |
| 5. |
Tahiti U-20 |
13 |
8 |
2 |
3 |
34 |
18 |
39 |
+16 |
| 6. |
TAC |
15 |
6 |
2 |
7 |
23 |
30 |
35 |
-7 |
| 7. |
Tamarii Faaa |
15 |
5 |
3 |
7 |
31 |
38 |
33 |
-7 |
| 8. |
AS Vaiete |
15 |
3 |
0 |
12 |
10 |
41 |
24 |
-31 |
| 9. |
Excelsior |
14 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
17 |
46 |
20 |
-29 |
| 10. |
AS JT |
15 |
1 |
1 |
13 |
7 |
50 |
17 |
-43 |
Fédération Tahitienne de Football (FTF)
Championnat D1
Results
AS Pirae 2 (Hiro Labaste 2’, Valery Attrewe 74’), TAC 3 (John Lee Tham 35’, William Tauraa 50’, Yannick Torohia 57’)
AS Manu Ura 0, AS Tamarii Faaa 1 (Richard Gueleme 49’)
AS Dragon 4 (Jeremy Dubois 16’, 55’, Jean-François Tiaiho 20’, Eizo Arai 80’), AS Excelsior 1 (Maire Nui Teata 64’)
AS Vaiete 1 (Alberic Teurua 89’), Tahiti U-20 6 (Stéphane Faatiarau 50’, Garry Rochette 56’, Ralph Heitaa 66’, Alvin Tehau 79’, 88’, Ariihau Teriitau 81’)
AS Tefana 3 (Rino Moretta 55’, 66’, Temarii Tinorua 90’), AS JT 0
GOLDEN BOOT
Jean-François KABEU 18 (AS Manu Ura)
Jeremy DUBOIS 8 (AS Dragon)
Samuel HNANYINE 7 (AS Dragon)
Auguste WASHETINE 7 (AS Manu Ura)
Naea BENNETT 7 (AS Pirae)
Rocky TERIIHAPUARE 7 (AS Tamarii Faaa)
Taufa NEUFFER 7 (AS Tefana)
Alvin TEHAU &nb
sp; 7 (Tahiti U-20)
Raimana LEE FUNG KUEE 6 (AS Dragon)
Rene ATTREWE 6 (AS Tefana)