The Kiribati national football team have made history after defeating Seaqaqa FC 6-1 to win the Premier Division title at the 86th FMF Inter-District Championship at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva today.
In their first appearance at the tournament, the island nation produced a stunning second-half performance to secure the championship.
Both teams went into the half-time break locked at 1-all, with the title still up for grabs.
However, the match took a dramatic turn in the 59th minute when Seaqaqa were reduced to 10 men after their striker was shown a red card for throwing a punch.
Kiribati capitalised on the numerical advantage and scored five more goals to seal the emphatic 6-1 victory.
The result was especially sweet for Kiribati, who had lost 4-2 to Seaqaqa during the pool stages.
Kiribati coach Tetabo Manaima says his players gave everything for their country and fulfilled their mission.
Manaima acknowledged that his team expected a tough contest, describing Seaqaqa as a strong opponent following their earlier defeat in the tournament.
He also thanked the Kiribati students from the University of the South Pacific who turned out in numbers to support the team.
Meanwhile, Shah Group of Companies Dreketi FC have been crowned the 86th FMF Inter-District Championship Senior Division champions after defeating Bua FC 1-nil in the final.
The highly anticipated FMF IDC Super Premier Division final between Dayals Steel Ba FC and Vantex Solutions Navua FC kicks off at 3pm.
