Northland Tailevu records come from behind win

THE Northland Tailevu side came from behind to beat Lami 2-1 in the second round of the Digicel Senior League at the Uprising Sports Center last Sunday.

Both teams came out for a win after losing their games in the first round.

Lami with the experience of former Navua reps Simione Maikali and Lemeki Raisalato in defence started the match with more tempo which saw Alfred Haununu getting the opener in the 21st minute. Both teams had equal opportunities in the first half but failed to utilise as they went to the breather with Lami leading with a 1-0 advantage.

The young Northland Tailevu outfit came out firing in the second half which saw Lami losing concentration and getting pressure in its defence. In the 52nd minute a mistake by Lami goalkeeper Pawan Lal saw Ayush Raj getting the equaliser. The goal brought Northland Tailevu back into the game and lack of discipline in the Lami defence once again allowed Raj to score his second and winning goal in 83rd minute.

Northland Tailevu coach Kritesh Prasad said it was a great performance by his players.

“We have a very young team who have come from our U19 team and I am happy we came out victors in our second match after losing the first one,” said Prasad.

“The boys have proved they will be a team to reckon with in the future.”

The former Northland Tailevu rep said Lami was a physical side but he was happy his young brigadiers kept their concentration despite going down 0-1 in the first half.

“The boys really played their hearts out against much experienced side of Lami and hats off to all the players,” said Prasad.

“We are building this team and I am sure the boys will improve game by game.”

Northland Tailevu now moves into third place in Digicel Senior League with three points.

The Northland Tailevu side.