Tears of joy were visible on the faces of Labasa soccer fans yesterday as the team lifted the prestigious Lloyd Farebrother Trophy after defeating Ba 1-0 in the final.
The Babasiga Lions lifted the Courts IDC trophy after a lapse of 17 years and soon after the final whistle, hundreds of soccer fans ran onto the TFL National Stadium ground and lifted their heroes to celebrate the occasion.
The moment all Labasa fans were waiting for came in the 19th minute of play in the second half when Roy Krishna beat three defenders and found an unmarked Maciu Dunadamu who slotted home the winning goal.
Dunadamu who missed Labasa’s last pool game against Rewa and the 1-0 win over Lautoka in the semifinal said that he came in the final to do the Babasiga Lions proud.
But, the hard work was done by none-other than Roy Krishna who mesmerized the Ba defenders.
Krishna said this win is for all the Labasa soccer fans.
For Ba, technical adviser Yogendra Dutt accepted the loss in good faith although they missed the services of mid-fielder Malakai Tiwa.
Dutt said that Labasa deserved to win and for the Men in Black their focus now shifts to the O-League.
Meanwhile, in the Premier final, Lami beat Tailevu Naitasiri 3-1.
Story by: Dhanjay Deo
Lions roar after 17 years
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