Oceania Football Center

Fiji FACT: Labasa sends Ba home with an emphatic win at Subrail Park

Labasa did what it was necessary for them to seal a spot at the semi-final stage of 2020 edition of Fiji FACT. Playing at home with an enthusiastic home crowd support, the Babasiga Lions seemed always stronger than Ba throughtout the 90 minutes of play.

The important Ilisoni Lolaivalu sent the fans into delirium as he scored through a header in front of Ba’s goalkeeper at the 17th minute of play. Labasa was ahead and all they wanted was to defend their lead until the end of the match. The Men in Black knew they would need at least a draw to qualify for the semi-finals and concentrated their efforts to attack. Ba did not create much goalscoring chances in the first half, while Labasa struggled to keep possession due the bad conditions of the pitch at Subrail Park.

Labasa players celebrate their first goal – *Fiji FA Media*

Labasa kept their lead until the final whistle of the first half; Ba came stronger in the final part of the match with the introduction of the experienced striker Samuela Drudru. Ba managed to level the match after a lapse of concentration of Labasa’s defense; the youngster Sumeet Goundar fired a shot that deflected return to himself and again the midfielder finished, this time finding the left down corner of Akuila Mateisuva for the celebration of Ba players and staff.

But, only two minutes later, Labasa took again the lead: after a well-taken corner at the first post, Ratu Anare flicked the ball directly to the nets of Ba. After a moment of doubt, the central referee confirmed the goal for Labasa for the joy of the fans on the stands – sending the Men in Black into desperation.

At the 70th minute of play Anare once again shined with a fantastic solo effort play; the attacker passed the defend and fired a perfect cross to Ilisoni Lolaivalu that headed the ball to the nets to score the third goal in favour of the Lions; the fans went dancing as they felt their team was very close to confirm a spot in the semi-finals of Fiji FACT.

The fans were right: Ba was not strong enough to force Labasa into pressure and the Lions even created more scoring chances. The young Shivneel Singh had the best chance for the Men in Black as he hit the post with a free-kick at the edge of the penalty box.

The 3-1 win for Labasa confirmed their to take on Suva this Saturday at Subrail Park in one of the semi-finals of the last football tournament of the year in Fiji. The other semi-final match will be played between Nadi and Rewa.

Ba finishes the year with no major trophies won – the club was also unable to qualify for the OFC Champions League at the Vodafone Premier League.

Lautoka says goodbye to Fiji FACT despite narrow win against Suva

Lautoka could not win by the necessary margin and they are out of the Fiji FACT; the team coached by Anginesh Prasad managed to grab an impressive victory over the national champions Suva, but they needed a three-goal margin and the final result was not enough for them.

Joela Biuvanua saved the first chance of the game in an one-on-one situation against Suva’s Sairusi Nalaubu. The young Aporosa Yada suffered a foul inside the box commited by the experienced defender Remueru Tekiate – the midfielder Zibraaz Sahib made no mistake from the spot to put Lautoka upfront. Suva, despite Lautoka’s advantage, displayed some good football upfront and created good opportunities – Ravnesh Karan Singh hit the post from long distance, in the best chance of the Capital City Boys in the first half.

Lautoka is out of Fiji FACT – *Fiji FA Media*

In the second half what could not happen for Lautoka happened… after a corner-kick, Karan Singh shot to the middle of the are hit Malakai Rakula and went to his own nets, levelling the game. The goal almost finished the chances of Lautoka to score all three goals needed in the remaining minutes of the game.

Kolinio Sivoki still managed to score a brilliant free-kick fro the edge of the box at the 78th minute of play, but it was too late for Lautoka to score all goals needed to qualify for the semi-finals. Despite the faillure, the Blues got their second win of the tournament by 2-1, finishing the group tied in points with Nadi and Suva, but with a worse goal difference.

You can check the updated results and tables of the 2020 edition of the Fiji FACT by visiting our session of the competition.

Rewa demolishes Nasinu to confirm spot at Fiji FACT semi-finals

The current champions of Battle of Giants gave no chances at all for Tagi Vonolagi’s Nasinu side. The Delta Tigers did not need to field players such as Tevita Waranaivalu to beat Nasinu by 7-0 in a muddy Subrail Park at the third matchday of Fiji FACT group stage.

Nasinu started finishing first to the goal, but at the 12th minute of play the star Setareki Hughes counted on bad goalkeeping from Nasinu’s Epeli Loaniceva to start the party of the team coached by Marika Rodu. France Catarogo scored the second for Rewa in an easy tap-in goal; Setareki’s brother Bruce Hughes still managed to score a brace in the first half to double Rewa’s lead to 4-0.

Bruce Hughes (N.9) celebrates one of his goals – *Fiji FA Media*

Nasinu emerged stronger in the first minutes of the second part of the game, but Rewa managed to keep the danger away from its own box. The midfielder Sailosi Rayaqona managed to score one more for Rewa at the 76th minute of the game with an empty-net.

One spectacular moment happened when the 39-time international for Fiji goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau entered in the field as a striker. The 38-year-old, with the game already decided in favour of his side, decided to try to score. The goalkeeper also played in this position in the past, but this time was especial for him: Tamanisau managed to score the 6th goal of Rewa in the process with a strong finish. The veteran also managed to assist for the 7th goal of his team that was scored by Shavnil Prasad.

The emphatic win gives Rewa the top of its group and a ticket for the semi-finals of the 2020 Fiji FACT while Nasinu leaves the tournament with three defeats in three games. You can check the full results and table of the tournament so far by visiting our page of the competition.

1993: When Oceania crossed Diego Armando Maradona’s path

Football lovers are mourning the passing of Diego Armando Maradona, one of the greatest players of all time. As a tribute to him, we bring you the story of when Oceania crossed his path in 1993. The original version of the text was written in Portuguese by Futebol Portenho, a Brazilian channel specialized in Argentinean football.

The FIFA World Cup qualifiers were initially set up for the 1934 FIFA World Cup. However, it was only for 1998’s edition that CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) changed its format so all nations begin to play with each other. Actually, it was for 2002’s edition that all nations faced each other, as Brazil did not have to fight for a place in the 1998 FIFA World Cup because they were World Champions in 1994.

In 1934, Argentina qualified without playing: they would fight for a spot against Chile, but the Chileans give up. From 1938 to 1954, different reasons led La Albiceleste itself to give up participating in the Qualifiers. Since then, the Argentinians only failed to qualify for FIFA World Cup once, in 1970.

Argentina became one of the most important National Teams in the world by winning FIFA World Cup twice: 1978 and 1986. They also reached the final in 1990, but they were defeated by West Germany. La Albiceleste also remained undefeated between 1991 and 1993. They also won winning twice the Copa America in this period.

Despite the great moment, the Argentinians suffered a lot to qualify for 1994 FIFA World Cup. It was in this qualifier that the two-year unbeaten streak was broken, in a 2-1 defeat to Colombia. Even with that defeat, La Albiceleste still had a chance to qualify for the World Cup – and that was when one of the most emblematic defeats in the history of Argentinian football happened: a painful 5-0 defeat against Colombia in Buenos Aires.

With these results, Argentina had to fight for a spot in the World Cup by playing the Inter-Continental Play-off against Australia, which at the time was still a member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). For this challenge, head coach Alfio Basile called up Diego Armando Maradona, who had been out of the national team since February of that year.

Maradona (right) before the match against Australia

In the first leg, an 1-1 draw in Sydney, the city that had been chosen to host the 2000 Olympics a few weeks earlier, with Maradona playing the whole match – El Gráfico, Argentina’s leading sports magazine, acknowledged in its post-game edition: “[the Argentine national team is] close to the world stage, far from football”.

The second leg was contested at Monumental de Núñez in Buenos Aires, and Don Diego helped his National Team to defeat the Socceroos by 1-0. This result qualified the South American side to 1994 FIFA World Cup, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of Australians, who almost returned to the world stage after 20 years. You can watch both matches by clicking here.

Maradona was part of Argentina’s squad at 1994 FIFA World Cup, his fourth and last one with La Albiceleste. He played two matches and scored one goal against Greece in the opening round of the tournament. Argentina was knocked-out by Romania in the Round of 16 and Brazil was crowned World Champions for the fourth time in history after defeating Italy in the final clash.

Fiij FACT: Lautoka on thorny mission after Nadi’s victory against Navua

Lautoka’s starting eleven against Navua – *Fiji FA Media*

Nadi defeated Navua by 4-1 in the opening game of Fiji FACT’s third matchday, and this result puts Lautoka in trouble right before their clash against Suva: the Bluez must win by three or more goals to qualify for the semi-finals.

The conjecture of the clash between Lautoka and Suva changed completely a few hours before the start of the match. Before, it was possible for both teams to advance to the semi-finals. Now, however, only one will remain alive in the tournament at the end of the day.

On the other hand, Suva advance to the semi-finals even losing by two goals. Despite the comfortable advantage, the Capital City Boys cannot lose focus on this important game, as Lautoka will come all out to fight for a big win.

This match is scheduled to kick-off at 4pm (local time) at Subrail Park in Labasa. You can check more information about 2020 Fiji FACT by clicking here.

Avinesh Suwamy’s brace sends Nadi to Fiji FACT semi-final stage

The experienced Avinesh Suwamy was once again the decisor for Nadi; this time against Navua at Fiji FACT group stage matchday three. Despite the favouritism, it was Navua who took the lead thanks to a goal of the veteran player Seveci Rokotakala at the 23th minute of play.

Minutes later, the same Seveci Rokotakala commited a handball inside the penalty box – a penalty was awarded to Nadi. Suwamy made no mistake from the spot with a powerful kick to level the game. The result of the first 45 minutes was 1-1.

The final part of the game was almost totally dominated by Nadi. Both sides had to deal with a terrible pitch, but Nadi managed to pull upfront thanks to the striker Sakaraia Naisua. The player chested the ball down in the are and finished calmly to Navua’s nets.

Avinesh Suwamy was decisive for Nadi – *Fiji FA Media*

Rusiate Matarerega coming from the bench scored another for Nadi at the 62th minute of play. The result was still not enough for Nadi to confirm their spot at the semi-finals of Fiji FACT as they needed to overcome Navua by atleast three goals.

The decisive goal came in the injury time thanks to, once again, the captain Suwamy. A fantastic free-kick from long range that lobbed the opposition to goalkeeper to confirm his side spot at the decisive part of the tournament. You can see the fantastic goal clicking here.

Navua leaves the tournament with three defeats in three matches, conceding a total of 11 goals and scoring four. Nadi has now six points – two wins from three games and one defeat – and will force Lautoka into winning Suva by at least three goals to qualify for the semi-finals; taking the place from Suva if they do so.

You can see the complete standinds, results and top-goalscorers of the Fiji FACT so far by visiting our competition page.

The third matchday of Fiji FACT should have been postponed

The third matchday of 2020 Fiji FACT kicked-off at Subrail Park in Labasa, with an important clash between Nadi and Navua. As expected, the pitch is not suitable for football matches, and what we are watching is something similar to the sport we know as football.

Both sides had difficulties to keep the ball possession, turning the game into a Kick and Rush festival. What is applauded by many should be a cause for shame: The third matchday of Fiji FACT should have been postponed, not only for the conditions of the pitch, but also to preserve players’ physical integrity, who will be playing back to back games on a field inappropriate for sports practice. Teams should refuse to play in such conditions.

More matches are going to be contested at Subrail Park until Sunday. The excessive number of games, together with the rain, can turn the pitch into something even worse for the finals. Good football cries as it watches this festival of horrors promoted by Fiji Football Association.

Fiji FACT: Ba and Labasa are ready for key clash

Ba and Labasa will clash at Subrail Park

The 2020 Fiji FACT’s group stage reaches its final day and there is one team that is in a very comfortable situation: Rewa. The Delta Tigers are on top of Group A with four points in two matches, the same number of points Ba have.

After an 1-1 draw against Ba, Rewa can secure their place in the semifinals even if they are beaten by Nasinu today. However, the Delta Tigers must stay focused on finishing on top of Group A. Anyway, fans must see a couple of regular starters on the bench at Subrail Park.

While Rewa must confirm seal their spot in the semifinals, Ba and Labasa are ready for a maginificent clash. While the Men in Black can qualify with a nil-nil draw, Fiji FACT hosts Labasa will count on the crowd support to fight for an important win to stay alive in the tournament: “It is going to be a tough game, as we are going to face the hosts,” stated Ba’s head coach Ronil Kumar.

One of the major concerns for this matchday is the quality of Subrail Park’s pitch, which was covered in mud after yesterday’s matches. We hope the rain will not punish the grass so we can watch good football matches today. You can check more information about 2020 Fiji FACT by clicking here.

Fiji FACT: Labasa heads to decisive match against Ba after win against Nasinu

The Babasiga Lions did not have only to deal with Tagi Vonolagi’s Nasinu men as the muddy conditions of Subrail Park were a real obstacle for them to display their normal football style. Ronil Lal and his players knew they were forced to win if they wanted to continue with chances to reach the semi-finals of Fiji FACT – Nasinu also could not lose to keep their chances alive.

Starting without Siotame Kubu upfront, Lal decided to field the experienced Taniela Waqa as striker and the former Fijian international proved a danger for the defensive system of Nasinu led by the young talented defender Sekove Naivakananumi. Nasinu pressed high Labasa and looked dangerous into the first ten minutes of the game, but a hard hit from long distance shown that Labasa was alive in the clash: Antonio Tuivuna sent a free-kick direct to the post of Nasinu to thrill the fans at Subrail Park.

The game was heavily affected due the terrible pitch conditions; still in the first 45 minutes, Labasa took the lead thanks to a deflected shot from Tuivuna. The defender received the ball close to the box after a free-kick and fired away, the ball deflected in Taniela Waqa and went direct to the nets: party on the stands, Labasa is ahead!

Labasa players before the match – *Fiji FA Media*

In the second half, Labasa came stronger: Ilisoni Logaivau received a fantastic pass and in an one-on-one situation put the ball in the nets to double the lead of the Lions – Nasinu was almost knocked-out. Ten minutes later, a handball in the box made the referee point to the spot to award the home team a penalty-kick. The same Logaivau went to the spot, but his shot was stopped by Nasinu’s Epeli Loaniceva, unfortunately for the goalkeeper the super-sub Melvin Mani was there to fire the rebound into Nasinu’s nets.

Labasa still managed to create possibilities – even an goal was ruled out due offside, the same as Nasinu that also had one goal that was disallowed due offside, but nothing that changed the final outcome of the clash. Nasinu is out, Labasa now heads to a decisive clash against Ba to seal its fate at 2020 Fiji FACT. Unfortuantely for Nasinu’s attacker Marlon Nonone, he was forced to leave the pitch before the final whistle due a injury in his shoulder – the severity of the injury is still uncertain.

You can check the complete standings, results and news about the 2020 Fiji FACT by visiting our session of the competition.

Fiji FACT: terrible pitch condition takes good football away from Subrail Park

The 2020 Fiji FACT kicked-off at Churchill Park in Lautoka on Saturday with two matches, while two other games were contested at ANZ Stadium on Sunday. After these four clashes, all teams travelled to Vanua Levu, as the rest of the tournament is set to be contested at Subrail Park in Labasa.

What should be a great spectacle, ended up becoming a nightmare for players and fans. The terrible condition of Subrail Park’s grass was a huge obstacle to good football. The ball could not roll properly due to mud and water, and players were forced to take the ball out of the ground in an attempt to play football.

The situation got even worse in the last match of the day, contested between hosts Labasa and Nasinu, when most of the pitch was covered by the mud. Having in mind that four more matches are going to be contested in the same stadium tomorrow, it is conceivable that the quality of the pitch tends to get worse – to the sadness of Fijian football fans.