Soccer: Waitakere downed in O-League final first leg

Papua New Guinea's Hekari United stunned Waitakere United 3-0 in the first-leg O-League soccer final in Port Moresby today.

Local hero Kema Jack scored a goal in each half while Solomon Islands import Alick Maemae added a third to help Hekari move a step closer to the Fifa Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Waitakere struggled in the testing conditions as temperatures rose to 30degC but

player-coach Neil Emblen refused to blame his side's performance on the stifling conditions.

``The weather is the same, the pitch is the same for both teams so we can't make any excuses. Hekari just scored three goals today and we didn't,' he said.

``We wanted to come back with a closer score but Hekari played very well today. So we'll just have to be at our best in two weeks time when they come to our place.'

Both teams now head into the second leg at Waitakere's Fred Taylor Park on May 2 with Oceania's $US500,000 playoff spot at the FIFA Club World Cup on the line.

- NZPA