EXTRA Bula FC’s hopes of securing a direct semi-final spot in the inaugural OFC Pro League took a heavy blow after a 2-4 defeat to South Melbourne FC in Auckland yesterday.
Desperate for a positive result to maintain their chances in the Leaders Group, the Fijian side showed glimpses of promise but were ultimately undone by a more clinical South Melbourne outfit.
The Australians opened the scoring in the 13th minute through Jack Pope, only for Bula FC’s striker Ibraheem Afazal to level the score six minutes later.
Bula looked confident at times during the first half, matching South Melbourne’s intensity and creating some attacking opportunities.
However, defensive lapses proved costly as Maximilian Mikkola restored South Melbourne’s lead from the penalty spot, before Andrew Mesourouni added a third goal just before half-time.
Trailing 3-1 at the break, Bula FC fought to get back into the match in the second half, but South Melbourne controlled the tempo and capitalised on further mistakes.
The Australian side added a fourth goal before Bula grabbed a late consolation by veteran Roy Krishna to finish the match 4-2.
The defeat leaves Bula FC with an uphill battle to qualify directly for the semi-finals following consecutive losses in the Leaders Group.
Finishing fourth, they missed out on direct entry to the top-tier semi-finals and must now contest a semi-final playoff against the winner of the Challengers Group to earn a place.
Despite the setback, coach Stéphane Auvray expressed encouragement over his squad’s development, particularly praising the performances of the club’s younger players.
“This is the experience they need,” Auvray said after the match. “We have to keep producing these positive performances because football is like that — sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”
