Malampa Revivors won Lae City by 3-0 in the last matchday of 2020 OFC Champions League Group B to advance through the knockout stage. All three goals were scored by Andre Batick that returned from suspension to make history.
Forward Andre Batick saw the red card in the opening matchday against Lautoka after fouling his countryman Jason Thomas in the first half. Despite playing the whole second half with ten players, Revivors managed to hold Lautoka to a 1-1 draw.
The Group B hosts had to deal with Batick’s absence in the second match against Henderson Eels from Solomon Islands. After suffering a lot, the Ni-Vanuatu side found a goal in the last minutes to draw another match.
The third and final match was decisive for Malampa. After drawing two matches in a row, the Ni-Vanuatu side needed to beat Lae City to qualify for the quarterfinals as Henderson Eels won Lautoka by 3-2 in the previous match.
It was supposed to be a very difficult match for Revivors as Lae City scored ten goals in two matches and they were the favourites to win the game while the team from Luganville was trying to win their first international official match of all time. After missing the clash against Eels, Andre Batick returned to the starting eleven to make history.
The Papua New Guinean side did not have a great match and they saw Andre Batick return from suspension score one, two… three goals! Just like a hero, the 26-year-old forward found the net for three times to score a hat-trick and seal Revivors’ win by 3-0.
It was the first international win of Malampa Revivors’ history and the three goals scored by Batick put the team in the knockout stage of OFC Champions League for the first time ever. This fact becomes more and more unforgettable once it was done in front of their fans as the Group B was hosted by Revivors at Luganville.
Every tournament has its own history and Andre is now part of 2020 OFC Champions League’s history. Now he has the opportunity to keep making history as his team will play the knockout stage in April.
Oceania Football Center 
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