The SHOP N SAVE Lautoka Team has qualified for the 2012 Fiji FACT Semi-Finals after defeating Nadi 1-0 this afternoon.

The pressure was on as a loss last night against Suva meant that a draw or a win was essential in order to qualify for the semi-finals.

The match saw the return of Simione Tamanisau who was injured and as a result did not feature in the match against Suva. Veteran Striker Maiqa Waqa also made his return to the starting lineup after being benched for the earlier match.

Blues dominated possession and created many goal scoring opportunities but failed to finish them off. A goal by Valerio Nawatu minutes before half time guaranteed our place in the semi-finals.

It is currently not clear who Lautoka will face in the Semi-Finals but it could be either Ba or Labasa.

All pool matches are scheduled to finish tonight and Semi-Finals will begin around 9:00am tomorrow.

Lautoka President Shalendra Prasad was happy with the result and is urging Blues Fans to come out in numbers to support the boys.

“I am happy with the result especially after a very disappointing performance against Suva.”

“We had an emergency meeting last night and we wanted to ensure that we get a win today at any cost.”

“Its highly likely that we will face Ba tomorrow so I urge the fans to come out and show their support as it won’t be easy playing a Champion Team like Ba in front of their home crowd,” Said Shalen.