Despite losing their crucial Group B encounter against Hekari Souths of Papua New Guinea, the Lautoka Football side still has a chance to qualify for the final of the O League.

But this will only be possible if the Shop and Save Blues beat Tafea FC of Vanuatu in Port Villa and bottom placed Marist FC of the Solomon Islands upsets leaders Hekari in Honiara on March 28.

The result on Sunday has made Group B very interesting as the winner of the group and O League finalist will be determined only after the completion of the final two matches which will be played on the same day and around the same time.

With Marist ruled out, the competition for the top spot will be between Hekari (10 points), Lautoka (9 points) and Tafea (8 points) and all teams will be gunning for a win to gain their first appearance in the O League, which is dubbed as Oceania’s version of Champions League and has gained a lot of popularity in recent times.

The Blues will have to do a lot of soul searching ahead of their last match as they will be without Osea Vakatalesau and Marika Madigi, two key players who have been scoring goals in the domestic league. But the westerners should have a coach for the match as Imdad Ali is expected to appear before the disciplinary committee on March 18.

While competition will be at its best in Group B, the race for the top spot in Group A is between defending champions Auckland City and former champions Waitakere United.

Fijilive

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