A second half goal by replacement player Simione Ragoneturaga sealed the 2025 Battle of the Giants title, trophy and bragging rights for Extra Supermarket Labasa football.
Ragoneturaga and Rusiate Doidoi inspired the Babasiga Lions to a 2-1 victory over Lincoln Rewa in the final of the BOG yesterday at Subrail Park in Labasa.
Doidoi opened the scoring in the 17th minute, sending the home crowd to a frenzy as they rallied behind their team.
They were brought to a silence when Rewa’s Josaia Sela equalised in the 37th minute.
This marked an ugly turning point in the match as Sela’s goal did not settle well with some spectators who, according to the Fiji Football Association, decided to throw bottles at the Rewa bench.
The Rewa bench retaliated, prompting the police to step in and diffuse the situation.
Jaiden Shankar was shown a yellow card in the process.
This incident occurred again after Ragoneturaga netted Labasa’s winning goal. This time, the coaches of both teams were shown the yellow card.
The match officials threatened to call off the match if the raucous behavior of fans continued, prompting Fiji FA chief executive Mohammed Yusuf to personally address some spectators, and pleading for them to remain calm so the match could continue.
Labasa goalkeeper Jitoko Vulava showed out in the last few minutes of the match, making crucial saves to deny Rewa any chance of a comeback.