The Vodafone Fiji Fact semifinalists have been confirmed after the final pool match at Subrail Park.
Labasa, after beating Lautoka 2-1 in a dramatic match forced its way into the semifinals.
The hosts, in front of over 8,000 crowd, did not upset their fans as Ravinesh Karan Singh opened the account in the first half from Christopher Wasasala cross.
Tempers went up in this match after this goal as Lautoka’s Valerio Nawatu was given the marching orders when he fouled Ilisoni Logaivou in the 20th minute of the first half.
Lautoka played with 10 men until they were reduced to nine men when Ilaitia Tuilau was sent off after elbowing Labasa goalkeeper Akuila Mataisuva just on the half time mark.
This did not go well in Lautoka camp as tempers flared which led to Lautoka coach Johnny Williams being red carded.
The Blues came back strongly in the second half and did not let it feel that they are two men down and made some counter attacks while Labasa could not take much advantage of their extra two players.
The hosts were awarded a penalty in the 29th minute of the second half and captain Taniela Waqa increased their lead to 2-0.
Lautoka did not lose hope and applied pressure as they managed to pull one back through Peni Finau in the 35th minute of the second half.
The westerners applied tremendous pressure in the last minutes of the match but Labasa defense stood tall and managed to keep the 2-1 scoreline till the final whistle.
Lautoka Soccer Coach Johnny Williams says playing with the nine men have proved that they are a better team than Labasa.
Meanwhile, Labasa Coach Johan Leewai says their fitness level was not up to standard.
Suva heads pool 2 with 6 points and a better goal average after thrashing Nadroga 6-0 while Labasa goes in as runners-up with 6 points also with a better goal average to Lautoka which also had 6 points.
In pool one, Nadi defeated Rewa 1-0 to top its pool with 9 points while the Delta Tigers qualified as runners-up with 4 points with a better goal average to Ba which also had 4 points after beating Dreketi 1-0.
The semifinals will take place at Ratu Cakobau Park on 2nd July with first semifinal kicking-off at 3pm between Nadi and Labasa followed by Suva vs Rewa at 5pm and you can catch the live commentaries of both these matches on Radio Sargam.
