Defending champions Rewa came from behind and held a gutsy Navua outfit 1-1 in a Round 3 fixture of the Digicel Fiji Premier League at the Uprising Sports complex in Pacific Harbour today.
Both the teams came in the match looking to retain their unbeaten run in the competition.
The Saiyad Ali coached hosts started off at a fast pace, launching early attacks on goal through Solomon islander Jared Rongosulia and Fiji Under 20 midfielder Thomas Dunn.
Rewa’s Gabrieli Matanisiga, Abbu Zahid and Alvin Hou missed early sitters in front of the goalmouth despite Navua goalkeeper Rinish being caught off guard on a couple of occasions.
Navua’s Mosese Baleinagaga, Vinal Prasad and Manav Permal threatened the visitors defence with some good attempts but experienced goalkeeper Emori Ragata was good with his saves.
Rongosulia broke the deadlock in the 31st minute after beautifully finishing off a Dunn through pass and slamming the ball beyond the reach of Ragata.
Two minutes later, Rongosulia struck again with a free kick but his shot hit the crossbar and bounced back into play.
Continuous pressure from the Rewa saw Captain Setareki Hughes take full advantage of a defensive blunder and get the equaliser in the 43rd minute as the teams headed to the break-all level.
Early in the second spell, Navua almost scored an own goal after a communication breakdown between Rinish and Matthew Charittar in the 50th minute.
Rewa coach Roderick Singh pulled out Abbu Zahid, Alvin Hou, Hughes and Peniame Drova and added the fresh legs of Iosefo Verevou, Ivan Kumar, Madhwan Goundar and Asivorosi Rabo while Aisake Nadovu, Sunny Deol and Izac Raikama replaced Baleinagaga, Simione Damuni and Alfred Ali for Navua.
After Navua’s Joseph Elder was brought down by a Rewa defender in the 76th minute, match official Torika Delai awarded a free kick to Navua which Dunn took but Ragata timed his save well and denied a goal.
Both teams fought hard till the final minute but the scores remained unchanged.
Rewa now has 7 points after two wins and a draw while Navua has 3 points from three consecutive draws.
