EXTRA Bula FC head coach Stephen Auvray was left with a mixture of pride and pragmatic reflection as the side was held to a 2-2 draw by Vanuatu United FC in a historic first OFC Pro League match at Eden Park in Auckland.
In a match that saw our young side leading for significant stretches, a frantic final ten minutes allowed Vanuatu to claw back a point.
Despite the late heartbreak, Auvray remained focused on the milestone of the occasion which was the first 90-minute professional test for many of his players.
For the majority of the contest, Bula FC dictated the tempo, displaying a level of technical composure that belied their lack of pre-season friendlies.
“I believe that until our players started pumping, we had good control of the game. Then it was just management. The last 10 minutes was a case of emergency, and those things happen,” he told media in a post-match conference.
It culminated in a late equalizer that slipped past the Bula FC goalkeeper Didier Desprez but Auvray was quick to shield him from criticism.
“Our goalkeeper was unfortunate in that last play considering the game that he played, and we are not going to blame him for the result.”
While the scoreboard showed a draw, Auvray emphasised that the internal metrics for success were met including the structural integrity of the team.
“If you had been listening in the past month, what matters most was the content. I think we can be very happy with the content considering it was our first game.”
Extra Bula FC will face New Zealand’s South Island United in its second match next Tuesday in Papua New Guinea.
