After a long wait, Roy Krishna is finally in India. The legendary Fijian forward arrived in Goa on this Saturday to rejoin ATK – which is now called ATK Mohun Bagan – to start his preparation for 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL), the major football league from India.
Krishna left Fiji on September 26 and he spent tree weeks in New Zealand before being allowed to depart to India. The 33-year-old forward is expected to spend two weeks in quarentine before going to the pitch with his teammates.
Roy Krishna arrived in India – ATK Mohun Bagan Media
It is going to be his second season playing at Indian Super League. He has already proven himself in the league by being one of the best players of 2019-20 season when his side ATK lift the trophy after beating Chennaiyin by 3-1 in the final.
The 2020-21 ISL is expected to run from November 2020 to March 2021 and will be hosted behind-closed-doors across three venues in Goa due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in India.
The opening match of 2020 Telekom S-League’s eleventh matchweek was contested between Isabel United and Real Kakamora at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara – the capital of the Solomon Islands. In a well contested game, Isabel won their third game in a row to keep climbing the ladder.
Isabel United opened the scoreboard with an early goal to take the lead. Real Kakamora’s left back Primo Naitoro failed to intercept a long throw and the ball felt at Julius Suafa’s feet. He crossed the ball and goalkeeper Joel Nanago touched it. However, it was not enough to send the ball away and veteran striker Benjamin Totori pushed it into the net; 1-0.
Isabel United players celebrating a goal – Telekom S-League Media
Despite being ahead, Isabel’s head coach Gideon Omokirio had to deal with a problem as John Oge left the game after being knocked by the ball in the head. Tuita Maeobia came from the bench to replace him.
Both teams were working hard to find the net but it was only possible in the final minutes of the game. Alvin Ray extended Isabel’s lead in the 86th minute while Paul Hiri scored from the penalty spot for Real Kakamora in the stoppage time. At the final whistle, Isabel United won by 2-1.
Isabel are currently in the fourth position in the league with sixteen points in ten matches. On the other hand, Real Kakamora lost their second match in a row to remain in the eighth position with eleven points. You can check the current Telekom S-League standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
Laugu United and Malaita Kingz clashed at Lawson Tama Stadium in the eleventh matchweek of Telekom S-League – the national football league from the Solomon Islands. Despite the favouritism, the team coached by Paul Kakai did not have an easy day.
Jeffery Bule almost opened the scoreboard in the third minute but his header hit the crossbar after a corner kick from the left wing. Bule had another chance to score with his head 23 minutes later: after another corner kick, he touched the ball with his head. The ball bounced on Kingz’s defender Robin Billy who was trying to save the goal and went into the net.
Laugu pLaugu’s players celebrating a goal – Telekom S-League Media
Laugu put lots of pressure on Kingz as they had many opportunities to extend their lead. In the beginning of the second half, forward Mathias Iani received the ball inside the six-yard box but he could not push it into he net. At the final whistle, the black team beat their opponents by 1-0.
Laugu remain in the second position with 23 points – four points behind current league leaders Henderson Eels. On the other hand, Malaita Kingz finished the first half of the season in the eleventh and last position with ten losses in ten matches. You can check the current Telekom S-League standings by clicking here.
Erakor Golden Star and Tafea clashed at Port Vila Stadium in the first match of PVFA Top Four – a knock-out tournament contested by the top four teams of 2019-20 PVFA Premier League from Vanuatu. The match, that was originally scheduled to kick-off at 2pm was delayed due to an issue with the net of one of the goals.
After a nil-nil draw in the 90 minutes, the game went into prolongation but neither of the two teams scored a goal, so the winner of the contest was decided in the penalty shoot-out. Tafea’s midfielder Jayson Timatua was the first player to take a penalty but it was saved by Massing Kalotang – an 18-year-old goalkeeper who came from the bench to replace Serge Daniel. On the other hand, Jacky Ruben found the net to open the scoreboard for Erakor.
Massing Kalotang
Tafea’s young defender Junior Felix equalized as Erakor’s Dondon Wanemut missed his shot. Jordy Tasip, who came from the bench to replace Allista Kalip, took Tafea’s third penalty in the contest, but Kalotang saved again. In the following shot, Loic Coulon scored to put Erakor ahead: 2-1.
Things got worse to Tafea as Massing Kalotang saved a penalty for the third time in the shoot-out. John Tasso was the one who missed that time. Erakor had the chance to seal their win but Jesse Kalopong missed it. Tafea had a last opportunity to equalize with Harrison Massing who did not disappoint and kept his team alive in the contest. However, it was not enough as Kaltfer Kaltack scored to put Erakor in the next stage of the tournament.
Erakor will face Galaxy FC on Wednesday at Port Vila Stadium and the winner of this clash is going to face Ifira Black Bird at PVFA Top Four’s final. You can check more information about this tournament by clicking here.
Two of the biggest football teams from New Caledonia, AS Magenta and Hienghène Sport clashed at Stade Numa Daly on this Saturday to decide which team would stay alive to fight for the local cup’s title against SC Ne Drehu in the final.
AS Magenta opened the scoreboard in the 18th minute with a goal scored by Shene Welepané from the penalty spot. However the team coached by Alain Moizan did not have much time to celebrate: Hienghène’s William Yentao threw the ball inside the box and a Magenta’s defender headed it into his own goal.
Both teams were looking for the goal at any cost, but the excess of will resulted in a large number of fouls – and Hienghène almost took the lead after a foul but Magenta’s goalkeeper Nicodem Hmaen saved the free kick taken by Miguel Kayara.
After some attempts, Hienghène managed to take the lead in the final minute of the first half. After confusion in the box, the ball hit the crossbar and Magenta’s defender Kévin Maitran tried to kick the ball away. However, the ball hit a Hienghène’s player and went straight into the goal.
Hienghène Sport finished the first half ahead
Scoring a late goal in the first half was very good to Hienghène as the team coached by Felix Tagawa had a very good start in the second half until the 56th minute when Rocky Nyikeine made a great save to deny Shene Welepané a goal. After this, AS Magenta started to have more ball possession and they managed to equalize in the 65th minute when Nathanael Hmaen headed the ball into the net after a corner kick from the right wing.
The goal scored by Hmaen forced Hienghène’s head coach Felix Tagawa to make some changes as veteran forward Bertrand Kaï came from the bench to strengthen the team’s attack. As the game was approaching its end, nervousness was increasingly taking over the players, and the match turned into a great festival of mistakes. After one of these mistakes, the ball fell to Bertrand Kaï’s foot who almost scored for Hienghène.
Despite all efforts from both sides, the match was tied at the end of the 90 minutes and the decision was taken to the extra time. In a prolongation without many ideas, Hienghène’s Joseph Athalé almost scored from outside the box and forced the opposing goalkeeper to make a great save. The winning goal was scored by Bertrand Kaï a few minutes later to put Hienghène in the final.
Hienghène will play the final of New Caledonia Cup for the sixth straight year. This time they will face SC Ne Drehu that defeated AS Mont-Dore by 1-0 in the other semi-final. You can check more information about 2020 New Caledonia Cup by clicking here.
The 2020 New Caledonia Cup is going to be very special as a team has reached the tournament final for the first time in history: SC Ne Drehu. The team coached by Leon Waitronyié has beaten AS Mont-Dore by 1-0 at Stade Numa Daly to book a spot in the final of the tournament.
The winning goal was scored in the 55th minute when a SC Ne Drehu’s forward beautifully lobbed the opposite goalkeeper to write the name of his team in the history of the tournament. They will face the winner of the match between AS Magenta and Hienghène Sport in Cup’s final.
SC Ne Drehu will play New Caledonia Cup’s final for the first time – Alain Vartane
The winner of New Caledonia Cup qualifies to the seventh round of 2020-21 French Cup – one of the biggest football tournaments in the world. You can check more information about 2020 New Caledonia Cup by clicking here.
It has been six days since Labasa won the 2020 Inter-District Championship (IDC), but the team’s supporters cannot stop celebrating this title – the second in a row – won after a 2-1 victory against Lautoka at ANZ Stadium.
Dozens of Labasa fans gathered at Allenby Park in Auckland, New Zealand, to celebrate the title. This celebration was organized by NZ Labasa Fan Club which is led by Daud Rahman – a passionate fan of the Babasiga Lions.
Dozens of people went to Allenby Park to celebrate 2020 IDC title – Daud Rahman
Labasa had a strong connection with New Zealand at 2020 Inter-District Championship as the Babasiga Lions were sponsored by SSS Building, a company from Auckland. It was Labasa’s sixth title in the history of the tournament.
The next challenge of the team coached by Ronil Lal will be against Lautoka at Subrail Park next weekend in the twelfth matchweek of Vodafone Premier League – the top tier league from Fiji. You can check more the current league standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
The present year is not being so good to Ba. The Men in Black made a vexing campaign in the OFC Champions League and they failed to reach the final of Battle of the Giants and Inter-District Championship by being eliminated in the semi-finals of both tournaments.
In addition, many players have left the club – including legendary midfielder Avinesh Suwamy who joined Nadi – while Manasa Nawakula and Saula Waqa were suspended after failing a drug test in August. However, this horror movie script may still have a happy ending as the team coached by Ronil Kumar is still alive in Vodafone Premier League’s title race.
Ba’s starting eleven in an Inter-District Championship’s match – Fiji FA Media
Currently in the third position in Vodafone Premier League – the top tier league from Fiji – the Men in Black are three points behind current leaders Rewa with only three rounds to go. The team coached by Ronil Kumar still has the chance to win the national league for the second straight year (and for the fourteenth time in twenty years).
Despite being used to lifting trophies year in and year out, winning the national league this year will be something special as Ba’s current squad is very young. Head coach Ronil Kumar and experienced players like Abbu Zahid, Ilimotama Jese and Samuela Drudru need more than ever to take the reins of the team for Men in Black to win the title.
Their next challenge is going to be next week against Nadi at Fiji FA Academy – the first of the three battles until the end of the league. You can check the full schedule of the remaining matches of 2020 Vodafone Premier League by clicking here.
It has been 15 months since Vanuatu National Team played their last match: an 11-0 win against Samoa at Pacific Games last year. Since then, football fans have not had the opportunity to see Vanuatu in action.
The 2019 Pacific Games was not very good for Vanuatu. Coached by Paul Munster, they did not advance to the semi-finals of the tournament as they finished third in Group A with seven points in four games – behind New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. However, it was a very special tournament for Mitch Cooper.
Cooper played for Australia at 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup and since then he has never played for a national team. He made his debut for Vanuatu one month before the Pacific Games in a 2-0 win over Tahiti: “It was an unbelievable and surreal experience! That day i will never forget,” he stated.
Although he debuted for Vanuatu last year, his desire to represent the country where he was born started some years earlier: “I saw Vanuatu going to the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup and not just taking part, but making a statement there against Germany and Mexico. That is not an easy thing to do and it made me so proud,” he said.
The 26-year-old midfielder has a lot of experience compared to his compatriots as he played at Australian A-League for some seasons, and he knows that it is something big for a player born in Vanuatu: “I was not just born in Vanuatu but I was raised there so I understand the magnitude and impact of a footballer playing outside the country could make,” stated Cooper – “I hope our next generation of footballers can see that they can travel the world playing football, that they can become professional players. My dream is to see Vanuatu playing a FIFA World Cup at senior level. Why not?“ he added.
Cooper played six matches for Vanuatu and scored five goals. He was part of the provisional squad for 2020 OFC Nations Cup but the tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemics. Anyway, we must see him in the national team for many years if he wants to.
After two weeks, the new schedule of 2020 Women’s Inter-District Championship was finally released. The tournament was supposed to be contested earlier this month but the competition was postponed due to weather conditions.
Eight teams are going to fight for the title: Ba, Labasa, Nadi, Nadroga, Nasinu, Suva, Rewa and Tailevu Naitasiri. They are split in two groups of four teams each and the top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals.
Eight teams will fight for 2020 Women’s IDC title – Fiji FA Media
The tournament is set to kick-off on October 28 at ANZ Stadium in Suva – the capital of Fiji. The opening match will be contested between hosts Suva and Nasinu. You can check the full schedule of the tournament by clicking here.
Oceania Football Center 