Solomon Islands once again demonstrated their remarkable ability to survive difficult situations at the 2026 MSG Prime Minister’s Cup, coming from behind three separate times to draw 3-3 with defending champions Vanuatu in another dramatic encounter at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
Vanuatu led through Andrew Malakai, Tony Kaltack and Jayson Bule, but every advantage was eventually cancelled out. Don Keana produced Solomon Islands’ first response, Raphael Lea’i scored the second, and captain Javin Wae completed the third comeback with another late goal to ensure the Bonitos remained unbeaten after three matches.
For Solomon Islands, the pattern is becoming extraordinary.
Ben Cahn’s team began their tournament by recovering from 3-1 down against Fiji to draw 3-3, with Javin Wae scoring deep into stoppage time. Against New Caledonia, Wae appeared again in added time to complete a 2-0 victory. Against Vanuatu, the central defender was once more required in the closing stages — and once again he delivered.
Before Wae could become the central figure, however, Solomon Islands spent almost the entire match chasing Vanuatu.
The defending champions went ahead in the 33rd minute through Andrew Malakai. The goal rewarded Vanuatu in a match carrying considerable importance for the race towards the final, but Solomon Islands found their first answer shortly before halftime.
Don Keana equalised in the 45th minute, ensuring the Bonitos entered the interval at 1-1 rather than having to begin the second half chasing the game.
That balance lasted only a few minutes.
Tony Kaltack restored Vanuatu’s lead three minutes after the restart, making it 2-1 and continuing his productive tournament. Kaltack had already scored against Papua New Guinea in Vanuatu’s opening match and again demonstrated his capacity to contribute offensively for the defending champions.
Solomon Islands were forced to respond for a second time.
This time the answer came from their biggest attacking name. Raphael Lea’i struck in the 67th minute to make it 2-2, scoring for the second consecutive match after also finding the breakthrough in the 2-0 victory over New Caledonia.
The equaliser might have shifted the momentum towards Solomon Islands, but Vanuatu refused to retreat.
Only five minutes later, Jayson Bule put the defending champions ahead for a third time. At 3-2 with the match moving into its closing stages, Richard Iwai’s side were within reach of a victory that would have taken them to six points and placed them in an excellent position to defend their MSG title.
They were unable to protect it.
With approximately four minutes of normal time remaining, Wae struck again.
The Solomon Islands captain made it 3-3 and completed an unusual match in which his team had never led but also never allowed Vanuatu to escape. Three Vanuatu goals produced three Solomon Islands responses.
Wae’s emergence as one of the tournament’s decisive players has been one of the most unexpected stories of the competition. Primarily a defender, he has now scored in all three Solomon Islands matches.
Against Fiji, his close-range header deep into stoppage time completed the recovery from 3-1 down. Against New Caledonia, he scored again in stoppage time to secure the 2-0 result. Now, against Vanuatu, another late intervention has preserved another point.
Three matches. Three goals. All of them arriving in the closing stages.
For a team featuring attacking players such as Lea’i, Atkin Kaua, Rovu Boyers and Don Keana, it is remarkable that one of the most decisive figures has been their captain from defence.
There is, however, another side to Solomon Islands’ tournament.
The Bonitos have now scored eight goals in three matches, but they have also conceded six. Their ability to recover has protected them repeatedly, particularly in the two 3-3 draws against Fiji and Vanuatu, but having to produce those recoveries also illustrates the defensive problems Cahn will want to address.
Against Fiji they allowed the hosts to establish a 3-1 advantage. Against Vanuatu they fell behind three different times.
Their attacking quality has so far been sufficient to repair the damage, but the margins will become increasingly dangerous as the tournament approaches its decisive stage.
Vanuatu can view the same match from almost the opposite perspective. The defending champions created enough to score three times against the tournament leaders and were ahead on three separate occasions, but they were unable to convert any of those advantages into victory.
It follows an opening match against PNG in which Vanuatu led 1-0 until the 85th minute before conceding twice and losing 2-1. They subsequently responded with a disciplined 1-0 victory over Fiji, but the inability to manage another advantage against Solomon Islands has cost them two more potentially valuable points.
The draw leaves Solomon Islands top with five points from three matches, while Vanuatu have four from three. PNG and New Caledonia sit immediately behind them on three points but have each played only twice, keeping the battle for the two places in the October 3 final extremely open.
Vanuatu will now face New Caledonia on September 27 in what has become a direct contest between two teams separated by a single point. Solomon Islands have a longer break before meeting PNG on September 30 in their final round-robin match.
For Cahn’s team, the equation is still favourable, but the lesson from their first three games is clear: Solomon Islands have repeatedly shown that they are extraordinarily difficult to finish off.
And whenever the match reaches its final minutes, Javin Wae is somehow becoming one of the most dangerous men on the field.
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