Solomon Islands and New Caledonia make winning starts at OFC U-19 Championship

Solomon Islands and New Caledonia opened their OFC U-19 Men’s Championship campaigns with victories in Apia, taking early control of Group A on the first day of competition in Samoa.

Solomon Islands began with a narrow but deserved 1-0 win over Papua New Guinea, while New Caledonia produced a fast start to defeat hosts Samoa 4-2 later in the day.

For Solomon Islands, the decisive moment came in the 16th minute. Captain Jayroll Patty found Wilkenson Siosi with a well-weighted pass behind the Papua New Guinea defence, and the forward finished from close range to give Franco Ne’e’s side the lead.

The scoreline remained tight, but Solomon Islands created enough opportunities to have made the victory more comfortable. They controlled possession for long periods and repeatedly forced PNG goalkeeper Ricky Hulana into important saves.

Papua New Guinea improved after the break and managed to put more pressure on the Solomon Islands defence, but their chances of finding an equaliser suffered a major blow when Bomcege Basananuc received a second yellow card in the 74th minute.

Despite finishing the match with ten players, PNG continued to push forward, but Solomon Islands held firm and secured an important opening three points.

The victory also continued a positive recent trend for Solomon Islands at youth level. Five players in the Papua New Guinea squad had also been involved in the U-16 national team that lost to Solomon Islands in the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship earlier this year, when a place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup was on the line.

Speaking after the match, Solomon Islands coach Franco Ne’e highlighted the importance of getting through a difficult opening fixture and praised the collective effort of his players.

Ne’e also acknowledged that his side lost concentration at times during the second half, something they will need to improve before facing one of the strongest teams in the group.

That challenge comes on Friday against New Caledonia.

The 2024 runners-up made an immediate statement in their opening match by beating hosts Samoa 4-2, with three goals inside the first 20 minutes effectively deciding the contest.

Ezekiel Wamowe opened the scoring after just two minutes. His penalty was initially saved by Samoa goalkeeper Iosua Iakopo Sapani, but Wamowe reacted quickly to convert the rebound.

Fabrice Iopue doubled the advantage in the ninth minute following a free-kick delivery, before Kylian Wiako made it 3-0 after 20 minutes by breaking behind the Samoan defence.

That explosive opening period placed New Caledonia firmly in control and showed why they entered the tournament as one of the strongest candidates to challenge for a place in the final.

Their fourth goal was the most spectacular of the match. Two minutes after half-time, Landry Thupako spotted Sapani off his line and scored from long range to extend the lead to 4-0.

Samoa, however, did not collapse.

Isaiah Afamasaga pulled one back in the 51st minute after reacting to a shot that rebounded off the post, while Javier Arratia-Pio added a second in the 72nd minute with a header from a corner.

Arratia-Pio was named Player of the Match, and the two late goals at least gave the hosts something positive to take from a difficult opening fixture.

The results leave Solomon Islands and New Caledonia level on three points at the top of Group A, making their meeting on Friday immediately significant.

New Caledonia are attempting to qualify for a second consecutive FIFA U-20 World Cup after reaching the OFC final in 2024, while Solomon Islands are looking to go one step further after finishing third two years ago.

With the two finalists in Samoa qualifying for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, every group-stage point carries considerable importance.

Papua New Guinea and Samoa will also meet on Friday in a match that could already be decisive for both teams. A second defeat would leave either side facing an extremely difficult route to the semi-finals.

The championship continues on Wednesday with the opening matches in Group B, where Fiji face Vanuatu before defending champions New Zealand take on Tahiti.

After just one day, Group A already has a clear early storyline: Solomon Islands have shown they can control a difficult match, while New Caledonia have demonstrated the attacking quality expected from one of the tournament’s leading contenders.

Their meeting on Friday should provide the first major indication of which team is best placed to finish top of the group.