Central Coast Claim Finals Spot After Extra Time Win at OFC Champions League

A hat-trick from Rafa Lea’i sent Central Coast into the OFC Champions League final with a heart-stopping 3-2 extra-time victory over Galaxy in a semi-final match for the ages at Four R Govind Park Stadium in Ba.

Central Coast will face defending champions Auckland City in Saturday’s final in Fiji, after the New Zealanders beat Rewa 3-1 in their semi-final.

The match against Galaxy was a thrilling encounter from start to finish. Both teams went out at a fast pace, attacking from the outset. Central Coast took the lead on the quarter-hour mark, putting Galaxy behind for the first time in the tournament.

A long ball found Hudyn Irodao on the right side of the penalty area, and his touch and shot were too much for Michael Laulae in the Galaxy FC goal. The effort cannoned back off the bar and, after Bobby Leslie saw his header blocked, the loose ball was controlled and smashed home by Lea’i.

With Lea’i pulling the strings with touches of impudent class, Central Coast continued to push, and Barrie Limoki saw a long-range thunderbolt rattle the woodwork before the same player was thwarted by an excellent stop from Laulae.

The Turning Point

Galaxy wasted a glorious chance when Tasso Jeffrey headed over from inside the six-yard box and they were made to pay a minute before the half-time break. Leslie and Limoki combined on a slick counterattack to set up Lea’i, who confidently drilled home his second of the match.

The Solomon Islands stars were keeping nine-goal tournament top-scorer Willian Dos Santos Medina quiet, nullifying the threat posed by the ace Brazilian marksman, throttling the Galaxy midfield supply line orchestrated by skipper Roberson Dos Santos Ribiero.