Oceania Football Center

Rusiate Matarerega makes the difference in Nadi’s win over Lautoka at Fiji FACT

Nadi started with an important win over Lautoka at Churchill Park. Without the important Avinesh Suwamy in the starting eleven, the top task of the day was at Fijian international Rusiate Matarerega shoulders and he made no mistake as he scored the game winner for the Jetsetters still in the first 45 minutes of the clash.

The bad season for Lautoka continues as they were unable to have a good start in another major tournament of the year – the Blues were knocked-out in the group stage of both Battle of Giants and Inter-District Championship and as well did not have a good season at Vodafone Premier League. The team now coached by Anginesh Prasad could not capitalise their opportunities in the second half and once again let their fans down at their home ground.

Rusiate Matarerega celebrates his goal against Lautoka – *Fiji FA Media*

Matarerega scored the winner at the 28th minute of the game with a strong finish from long range, giving no chance for Lautoka’s goalkepeer Joela Biuvanua. Both sides will regroup and play their last two matches of Fiji FACT’s group stage at Labasa’s Subrail Park at 25th November.

Joel Stevens’ team wins championship in Sweden

This year is being very successful for Joel Stevens. The 25-year-old forward from New Zealand returned to Europe to play for IFK Värnamo in Sweden, and he helped his team get promoted to Superettan – the second tier of Swedish football league system.

IFK Värnamo were the champions of Division 1 Södra, one of the two regional leagues that compose Swedish third tier. Stevens had an important role in the season by scoring four goals in 24 matches in the league.

That is Stevens’ second stint in Sweden, as he played for Husqvarna FF in 2018 before returning to New Zealand. He joined IFK Värnamo in February after playing a key role at Southern United in the first half of 2019-20 ISPS Handa Premireship.

We congratulate Stevens for this accomplishment.

Vanuatu: Tafea defeat Yatel in historic match

Tafea’s starting eleven against Yatel – *PVFA Media*

Tafea and Yatel clashed at PV Stadium in the second matchweek of 2020-21 PVFA Vodafone Premier League, the top tier league of Port Vila Football Association’s league system. This match became historic because it was broadcast live on Facebook.

While other nations such as the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea are already in the habit of broadcasting live matches on Facebook, Vanuatu is still a few steps behind. However, the transmission of the match between Tafea and Yatel is a huge accomplishment.

According to Port Vila Football Association, there will be PVFA Vodafone Premier League matches live on Facebook every week this season, so people from all over the world will be able to watch the best of Vanuatu football in the comfort of their homes

John Thomas opened the scoreboard in the first half while Micah Tommy found the net in the second half to seal Tafea’s 2-0 win in this historic match. After this game, another clash was broadcast live at PV Stadium: Galaxy vs Ifira Black Bird. Galaxy defeated Ifira by 1-0 with a goal scored by Bong Kalo.

Two other matches were contested in Port Vila this weekend: Erakor Golden Star defeated Mauwia by 2-1 while Tupuji Imere beat Sia-Raga by 1-0 with a goal scored by Azariah Soromon. You can check more information about 2020-21 PVFA Vodafone Premier League by clicking here.

Ba defeat Nasinu in 2020 Fiji FACT’s opening match

The 2020 Fiji FACT kicked-off this Saturday at Churchill Park with the opening clash between Ba and Nasinu. While Ba are having their last opportunity to win a trophy, Nasinu want to bring some pride to their fans after being relegated in Vodafone Premier League.

The most curious fact of the match was Ba’s starting goalkeeper. With Misiwani Nairube‘s injury, striker Sanaila Waqanicakau had to wear a pair of gloves for this game. The first goal of the match was scored by Darold Kakasi after a corner kick taken by Abbu Zahid in the 16th minute.

Darold Kakasi celebrating his goal – *Fiji FA Media*

Veteran midfielder Malakai Tiwa extended Ba’s lead in the second half while Sanaila Waqanicakau scored an own goal to bring Nasinu back to the game. The final goal of the contest was scored by Samuela Drudru who came from the bench to seal Ba’s 3-1 win.

The Men in Black are now leading the Group A with three points while Nasinu stand on bottom of the table. Their next match will be against Rewa at Subrail Park on Wednesday. You can check more information about 2020 Fiji FACT by clicking here.

Nova Zelândia: Team Wellington vence com gol do português João Moreira

João Moreira marcou o gol da vitória do Team Wellington contra o Hawke’s Bay United

A segunda rodada da liga nacional da Nova Zelândia, também conhecida como ISPS Handa Men’s Premiership, começou neste sábado com o confronto entre Team Wellington e Hawke’s Bay United no estádio David Farrington Park.

Após um primeiro tempo dominado pelo Hawke’s Bay, o Team Wellington apresentou sinais de melhora no segundo tempo. Entretanto, os visitantes saíram na frente com um gol marcado pelo jovem atacante Jesse Randall.

A vantagem do Hawke’s Bay não durou muito tempo, já que Nathaniel Hailemariam, que veio do banco de reservas para substituir o lesionado Jack Henry-Sinclair, empatou o jogo. O gol da vitória foi marcado no 89º minuto de jogo pelo atacante português João Moreira, que está em sua segunda passagem pelo futebol da Nova Zelândia.

O Team Wellington segue invicto na temporada com duas vitórias em duas partidas na ISPS Handa Men’s Premiership. A próxima partida dos TeeDubs será contra o Waitakere United no Seddon Fields.

Rest in Peace, Gilbert Katenga

It is with sadness that we receive the news of the death of Gilbert Katenga. He was part of Seveners United’s squad in 2020-21 PVFA Vodafone Premier League, the most important regional football league in Vanuatu.

Gilbert was a26-year-old versatile player who could play as a defender or as a midfielder. The cause of death has not been revealed. We send our condolences to Seveners United and Gilbert’s family and friends.

Roy Krishna scores as ATK Mohun Bagan defeat Kerala Blasters

The 2020-21 Indian Super League kicked-off this Friday with a very interesting clash between Kerala Blasters and ATK Mohun Bagan at GMC Stadium. This was the first official match in the history of ATK Mohun Bagan, as the current league champions ATK merged with Mohun Bagan to create a brand new team.

Despite having more possession, Kerala Blasters’ attack was ineffective, as the team coached by Kibu Vicuña’s failed to score. Just like his teammates, debutant striker Gary Hooper did not have chances to score. On the other hand, ATK Mohun Bagan managed to find the net in the 65th goal with an amazing goal scored by Fijian star Roy Krishna, who wrote his name in the history by scoring the first ever goal of ATK Mohun Bagan’s history.

Krishna played 82 minutes in the match before being replaced by Australian forward David Williams. The Fijian star received the Hero of the Match Award for being the best player in the pitch: “I will not take all the credit, I think we defended really well […] It is a good start for the season,” said Krishna in a post-match interview.

The 2020-21 Indian Super League will be a very different season for football fans in India as all matches will be played behind-closed-doors across three venues in Goa. You can check more information about the current Indian Super League season by clicking here.

Roy Krishna ready for Indian Super League’s season opener against Kerala Blasters

The 2020-21 Indian Super League is ready to kick-off, as ATK-Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters will meet at GMC Stadium in the opening match of the season this Friday. Fans will finally see Fijian star Roy Krishna, who was one of the league’s top players in 2019-20, back to action with ATK-Mohun Bagan.

Besides Krishna, two other former Wellington Phoenix players will be present at this game: David Williams and Gary Hooper. While Williams will play his second season in India, Hooper is ready to make his debut for Kerala Blasters after leaving the A-League franchise.

Roy Krishna (left) is ready for another season with ATK Mohun-Bagan – *ISL Media*

The biggest news for this season is that current league champions ATK merged with Mohun-Bagan to play in the 2020-21 Indian Super League, under the name of ATK Mohun-Bagan FC. This important clash is set to kick-off at 11am (local time). You can check more information about Indian Super League by clicking here.

North Efate beat Seveners to keep their good start in PVFA Vodafone Premier League

The second matchweek of 2020-21 PVFA Vodafone Premier League kicked-off this Thursday when North Efate United and Seveners United, two teams that were in a lower division last season, clashed at PV Stadium in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu.

Kesly Joseph opened the scoreboard for Seveners in the fourth minute of the game while Simon Joseph equalized fifteen minutes later. Two more goals were scored in the second half when Tatie Tawia and Steven Silas scored once each. At the final whistle, the score was 3-1 in favour of North Efate United.

North Efate United players celebrating a goal – *Port Vila Football Association Media*

Steven Silas is one of the top scorers of the season with three goals in two matches. This result put North Efate United on top of the table with six points while Seveners lost their second match in a row. You can check the current PVFA Vodafone Premier League standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.

2020 Fiji FACT: Taniela Waqa’s last dance

The 2020 Vodafone Fiji FACT is set to kick-off this weekend and it is going to be the last opportunity for fans to watch Labasa’s Taniela Waqa playing an official tournament, as he is going to retire from football at the end of this year.

Waqa has a long and successful career as he lifted many trophies over the years. He was part of Fiji National Team’s squad that won the gold medal at 2003 Pacific Games. He played an important role in this tournament by scoring a goal in the 2-1 victory over Tahiti in the semi-finals. Throughout his career, he played 35 matches for the Bula Boys, scoring four goals.

SEE ALSO
Nadi’s midfielder Avinesh Suwamy back from injury and confirmed for Fiji FACT;
Nasinu: nothing to lose in Fiji FACT;
Tevita Waranaivalu determined to help Rewa finish the season with the glory of Fiji FACT

Taniela Waqa holding 2019 Battle of the Giants’ trophy – *Fiji FA Media*

As the Fiji FACT’s finals are going to be contested at Subrail Park in Labasa, Waqa has the opportunity to finish his career by helping Labasa to win a tournament at home, which would be awesome for players, staff and fans.

Labasa are drawn in Group A along with Ba, Nasinu and Rewa. They will debut in the tournament on Sunday against Rewa at ANZ Stadium in Suva. You can check more information about 2020 Fiji FACT by clicking here.