Ba staying grounded despite strong start in Group A

Shalen Lal’s side picked up a convincing 3-0 victory over Gaitcha on Saturday night which, teamed with the surprise draw between Lupe Ole Soaga and AS Pirae, sees them sit alone atop the Group A standings after the first round of games.
Such is the condensed nature of the tournament that early momentum is crucial and Lal knows that a win over Samoan champions Lupe could see the Men In Black with one foot in next week’s knockout phase.
Two favourable results on the second match day and Ba would be confirmed in the final four for the third successive tournament.
“We take every game seriously. It’s very important,” Lal says. “Some people might have thought that it could be a walkover but looking at their [Lupe Ole Soaga’s] game against Pirae, they’re a very good side and we’ll have to prepare well to face them tomorrow.
Lupe fought back from two goals down at the break to record a memorable and historic point against Tahiti’s Pirae but the home side Ba – cheered on by an excited home crowd – are a different prospect altogether.
The result meant that Lal is well aware that to underestimate their opponents would be unwise.
“They have a great side, full of speed,” he says. “They have a lot of players up front who shoot on sight every time they get the ball. They’ve got a lot of fighting spirit and we will have to be prepared.
Their opener out of the way, Lal will look for another professional performance from his boys as Ba seeks to gain a stranglehold on Group A ahead of Saturday’s third game against fellow 2014 semi-finalists Pirae.
He will assess the situation on Tuesday morning but is confident that he will have a full squad to choose from.
Lupe player-coach Paul Ualesi is under no illusions about Tuesday’s match.
“We’re expecting a really tough game [against Ba]. They were semi-fialists last year and they have home advantage in their favour,” Ualesi says. “We’re going to prepare for that – it’s going to be hard for us but we’re going to lift our performance against Ba.”
The match kicks-off at 4:30pm from Govind Park on Tuesday 14 April.