Leaders Rewa fought tooth and nail to beat Ba 2-1 in Round 9 of the Digicel Fiji Premier League at Ratu Cakobau Park in Nausori today.
Veteran defender Samuela Kautoga netted the winner for Extra sponsored Delta Tigers late in the match.
The wet and soggy ground condition affected play and also resulted in some serious injuries as Ba lost Rahul Naresh early in the first half and midfielder Sailasa Ratu midway in the second spell.
The unavailability of medics at the venue also saw play held up for more than 10 minutes as the match officials had to ensure the injured players were given proper treatment.
Captain Tevita Waranaivalu was fouled inside the Ba box in the 16th minute and this allowed the hosts to get on the scoreboard first via a Iosefo Verevou penalty.
Rewa led 1-0 at the break but the Rooster Chicken sponsored Men in Black were able to level the scores through Solomon Islander Darold Kakasi after a series of attacks on goal.
Backed by close to 2000 fans, the hosts pushed hard in the last ten minutes through long and deep crosses and in one such attacking moves, Kautoga rose above the Ba defence and found the winner.
Rewa now has 23 points on the table.
Meanwhile, in another fixture played at the Uprising Sports Centre in Pacific Harbour, second placed Labasa fought hard to beat Navua 3-2 to keep a good record heading into the 2024 Digicel Fiji FACT which will be played at the end of the month at Subrail Park.
