Clash of Debutants: Galaxy and Eastern Suburbs fight for the lead in Port Moresby

The strong Eastern Suburbs are set for a big challenge against the great-performers Galaxy FC, that smashed the current champions of the OFC Champions League Hienghène Sport by 4-1 in the first match of the group A. The New Zealanders had to battle against the hosts of Hekari United to end up with a 2-1 win, even playing most of the second half with one-man advantage.

Both teams are playing for the first time the continental tournament, but they already got their first win the tournament in the debut as Galaxy won Hienghène Sport and Eastern Suburbs beat Hekari United.

Eastern Suburbs counted on the strong Uruguayan striker Martin Bueno – he scored a brace for the Lilywhites in their first challenge in the tournament and he was a constant threat to the Papua New Guinean defense. The talented midfielder Reid Drake was crucial in this match by assisting for Bueno’s first goal in the hard fought win of the Auckland-based club.

The strong defensive system of Eastern Suburbs will have a big test ahead of Galaxy FC. The Ni-Vanuatu side coached by Batram Suri did not face any trouble to score four times against the reigning champions of the competition. Despite having some problems in defense, Galaxy was very dangerous through the likes of Roberson, Gagame Feni and Terence Carter upfront – a threat the defensive system led by Adam Thomas will need to deal with.

Batram Suri knows it will not be a easy clash for his team; Galaxy defense needs to improve if they want to control the powerful Martin Bueno and the talented players in the midfield Leon van de Hoven, Reid Drake and the Englishman Adam Thurston.

The victorious team of this clash will grant a spot in the knockout stage of the OFC Champions League; a very good result for debutants in the competition, so we can really expect a very good match between both sides that want to keep the good moment and qualify for the decisive phase of the most important club football tournament in Oceania.