2020-21 Ligue 1 VINI kicks-off in Tahiti

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The wait is over in Tahiti as 2020-21 Ligue 1 Vini finally kicked-off in the French territory. The first match of this season was contested between AS Central Sport and AS Tefana at Stade Pater and Tefana grabbed their first points in the league by beating their opponents by 1-0.

Tuteani David opened the scoreboard for AS Tefana in the 36th minute and it was enough for them to win their first official challenge of the season. On the other hand, AS Central Sport have to deal with this loss as they keep their preparation for the upcoming challenges.

Tefana (yellow) and Central Sport (black and red) played the 2020-21 Ligue 1 VINI season opener in Tahiti – FTF Media

Three other matches will be contested today in the French territory: AS Manu-Ura and AS Olympic Mahina will clash at Stade Paea while AS Vénus will receive AS Arue at Stade Mahina. The third and last match of this Friday is going to be contested between current league champions AS Pirae and AS Mataiea. You can check more information about 2020-21 Ligue 1 VINI season by clicking here.

Three teams fight against relegation as PVFA Premier League reaches its final day

Do or die! That is the perfect expression to summarize the situation of Mauwia, Sia-Raga and Yatel at PVFA Premier League – the top-tier league from Port Vila football system in Vanuatu. These three teams have their last chance to avoid relegation as the final matchday of the season is going to be contested on this Saturday.

The most exciting match is surely the clash between Sia-Raga and Mauwia – two teams that are still fighting against relegation. While Mauwia stepped up in the past weeks, Sia-Raga is living a terrible moment as they reached the bottom of the table last week.

Another team that is fighting against relegation is Yatel that will face Erakor Golden Star. However, the team coached by Kiki Hinge has the possibility of staying at PVFA Premier League even if they lose to Erakor. For this it is necessary that Sia-Raga loses to Mauwia.

Sia-Raga is currently in the last position at 2019-20 PVFA Premier League – Vanuatu Sports News

It is important to remember that the bottom-placed team is directly relegated to PVFA First Division while the seventh-placed side will play a relegation play-off against the second-placed team at 2019-20 PVFA First Division.

After clinching the league title last weekend, Ifira Black Bird will face Tafea in a game that will not make any difference in the final standings. The fourth and last match of the day will be contested between Galaxy FC and Tupuji Imere.

The top four teams of 2019-20 PVFA Premier League will advance to PVFA Top Four that will be contested later this month. You can check the current standings, results and top scorers of the league by clicking here.

Miramar Rangers and Western Suburbs ready to clash for Central League’s title in New Zealand

The eighteenth and final matchweek of 2020 Ultra Football Central League is going to be breathtaking in New Zealand as Miramar Rangers and Western Suburbs – the two best teams of the season – will clash to decide which team will lift the trophy this year.

Both teams are tied on top of the table with 43 points each. However, Miramar Rangers have the advantage of having a better goal difference, which means that a draw will be enough for them to clinch the league title while Western Suburbs need to win this match if they want to lift Central League’s trophy for the second straight year.

Miramar Rangers and Western Suburbs will clash at David Farrington Park

Miramar Rangers’ head coach Patrick Fleming relies on a powerful attack led by Samuel Mason-Smith who scored 19 goals in the season while Suburbs must count on Ryan Feutz as their biggest threat to Rangers’ defense.

Miramar Rangers’ head coach Patrick Fleming has a powerful attack led by Samuel Mason-Smith, who scored 19 goals this season, while Suburbs must rely on Ryan Feutz as their biggest threat to Rangers’ defense. This amazing match is scheduled to kick-off tomorrow at David Farrington Park. You can check the current Central League standings and results by clicking here.

Dreketi comes from behind to book a spot at Senior Division’s IDC semi-finals

The fight for the last spot in the semi-finals of 2020 Senior Division’s Inter-District Championship was very intense as Dreketi and Rakiraki starred a breathtaking match at Uprising Resort Ground in Navua to decide which team would advance to the semi-finals and which team would leave the competition.

Rakiraki had a huge advantage for this match as a draw would be enough for them to book a spot in the semi-finals. However the team coached by Savneel Singh did not want to push their luck as team captain Aseili Cobuta opened the scoreboard in the 42nd minute while Ronald Dutt extended their lead in the second half.

While Rakiraki fans were celebrating the 2-0 victory, Dreketi did not give in. Mohammed Issac scored Dreketi’s first goal in the 64th minute while Shanil Kumar found the net sixteen minutes later to equalize and spice up the game.

Dreketi did not give in against Rakiraki – Fiji FA Media

The 2-2 draw would not be enough for Dreketi so they did not stop fighting and what seemed impossible, happened – Netani Suluka scored in the 88th minute to put Dreketi ahead. At the final whistle, the score was 3-2 in favour of Dreketi that advanced to the semi-finals to face Nadroga at ANZ Stadium on Saturday. You can check more information about 2020 Senior Division’s Inter-District Championship by clicking here.

Like a phoenix, Labasa arises from ashes at 2020 IDC

A phoenix is a mythological bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Associated with fire and the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion, others that it simply dies and decomposes before being born again.

Labasa’s campaign at 2020 Inter-District Championship (IDC) can be compared to this legend. After a disastrous loss to Navua in the opening day, the Babasiga Lions smashed Nadi by 4-0 to keep fighting for a spot in the semi-finals of the tournament.

With three points in two matches, Labasa reached the final day of Inter-District Championship’s group stage with a tough mission: beat current Vodafone Premier League champions Ba to advance to the semi-finals.

What seemed unlikely soon became a concrete reality. With early goals scored by Ilisoni Lolaivalu and Taniela Waqa, Labasa took the necessary advantage to stay alive in the tournament as the goal scored by Ba’s forward Samuela Drudru was not enough to prevent Labasa from winning. At the final whistle, the score was 2-1 in favour of Babasiga Lions.

Labasa has beaten Ba by 2-1 – Fiji FA Media

The team coached by Ronil Lal finished the group stage in the first position with six points in three matches and now the Babasiga Lions must focus on the clash against Rewa in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Like a phoenix, Lions arose from the ashes and people should not underestimate them. It would not be a surprise if we see Labasa lifting the Inter-District Championship’s trophy for the second straight year – which would be the perfect end to the team’s incredible recovery in the tournament. You can check more information about 2020 IDC by clicking here.

New-look Ba ready to fight for their 25th IDC title in Fiji

Despite losing to Labasa by 2-1 on this Thursday, Ba advanced to 2020 Inter-District Championship (IDC) semi-finals which means that the Men in Black have the opportunity to clinch the IDC title for the 25th time in the history.

The team coached by Ronil Kumar is used to clinch titles as Ba is the team with most football titles in Fiji. However, winning the IDC this season would be something special for the current Vodafone Premier League champions.

It is important to remember that Ba’s squad changed a lot in the past months. Eleven of the 22 players who represented the Men in Black in the 2019 Inter-District Championship are no longer in the team while Manasa Nawakula and Saula Waqa are suspended after failing a drug test.

Ba’s squad changed a lot in the past months – Fiji FA Media

Head coach Ronil Kumar had to work the extra mile to build another strong squad. Currently in the third position at Vodafone Premier League – the top-tier league from Fiji – Ba is still alive in the fight for the national title. However, winning the 2020 IDC will have a huge impact on the squad, as it would be the first title for many players wearing Ba’s jersey.

The next challenge of the Men in Black is going to be against their biggest rivals Lautoka on Saturday. The winner of this clash will advance to 2020 IDC finals. You can check more information about this tournament by clicking here.

Suva’s dream of winning the IDC title at home is over

Currently in the second position at Vodafone Premier League – the top-tier league from Fiji – Suva was considered one of the favourite teams to win the Inter-District Championship this year. The Capital City Boys also had the support of the fans, as the tournament is being played at ANZ Stadium.

Suva did not have a good start in the tournament as they lost to Nasinu in the opening day. However, the 4-2 victory against their biggest rivals Rewa was a huge boost for team coached by Babs Khan in the fight for a spot in the semi-finals.

The Capital City Boys counted on the crowd support against Lautoka in the final clash of the group stage. After starting the match on the bench, Christopher Wasasala and Sairusi Nalaubu – two of Suva’s most important players – came to the pitch in the 26th minute to replace Semi Matalau and Jonetani Buksh.

After a nil-nil draw in the first half, anxiety took over Suva’s crowd until the 67th minute when Wasasala scored a beautiful goal to put his side ahead. This 1-0 victory would be enough to book a spot in the semi-finals but Lautoka managed to equalize a few minutes later with a goal scored by Malakai Rakula.

Suva did not manage to beat Lautoka – Fiji FA Media

The goal scored by Rakula threw cold water on Suva’s motivation. At the final whistle, the score was an 1-1 draw and the Capital City Boys were knocked-out of the tournament. On the other hand, celebration took over Lautoka’s players and staff as they advanced to the semi-finals.

After reaching Inter-District Championship’s final in the past two editions, Suva will have to wait one more year to fight for this title again while Lautoka will face their biggest rivals Ba in the semi-finals on Saturday. You can check more information about 2020 Inter-District Championship by clicking here.

Valevou’s brace pushes Rewa into IDC semi-finals in Fiji

Current Vodafone Premier League leaders Rewa reached the last matchday of 2020 Inter-District Championship’s group stage with a tough mission: beating Nasinu by a big goal margin to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.

Rewa’s head coach Marika Rodu knew that it would not be an easy challenge as they had many difficulties to beat Nasinu in the league matches earlier this year. Anyway the Delta Tigers came to the pitch confident that they could make it.

Epeli Valevou scored twice in the first half to put a smile on the face of Rewa fans. The Delta Tigers were even stronger in the second half as Bruce Hughes and Mohammed Naizal came from the bench to replace Shavnil Prasad and Misaele Draunibaka. However, Nasinu was the first team to celebrate a goal in the second half when Isikeli Ratucava scored a wonderful goal by lobbing Rewa’s goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau.

Valevou scored twice for Rewa – Fiji FA Media

Nasinu did not have much time to celebrate as Patrick Joseph scored two minutes later. France Catarogo and Mohammed Naizal also scored once each in the final minutes of the clash to seal Rewa’s 5-1 win – a result that put the Delta Tigers in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Rewa will face Labasa in the semi-finals. The match is scheduled be contested on Saturday at ANZ Stadium in Suva. You can check more information about 2020 Inter-District Championship by clicking here.

Oriana takes Honiara City forward against Southern United in Telekom S-League

The ninth matchweek of 2020 Telekom S-League reached its end as Honiara City and Southern United clashed at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara – the capital of the Solomon Islands. Despite the bad performance, Honiara City managed to beat their opponents to reach the fourth position in the table.

Cleophas Oriana opened the scoreboard for Honiara City in the 23rd minute. Oriana almost scored his second goal of the day but it was saved by Southern’s goalkeeper Junior Fika. However, Junior Annie was there to push the ball into the net to extend City’s lead.

Cleophas Oriana opened the scoreboard for Honiara City – Telekom S-League Media

Southern United’s winger Shane Qoloni managed to find the net in the second half to put his side back to contention but Alick Solo scored City’s third goal to seal the 3-1 win to reach the fourth position in the table while Southern remain in the tenth position with only three points in eight matches. You can check more information about 2020 Telekom S-League by clicking here.

Bua, Nadroga and Tailevu Naitasiri advance to Senior Division’s IDC semi-finals

The second matchday of 2020 Senior Division’s Inter-District Championship (IDC) is over and three teams are already qualified for the semi-finals: Bua, Nadroga and Tailevu Naitasiri. All these three teams have six points in two matches and they are waiting for the fourth team that will contest the semi-finals.

Nadroga have beaten Tavua by 1-0 while Bua smashed Nadogo by 6-2 with four goals scored by Mohammed Zaid. Tailevu Naitasiri defeated Dreketi by 3-1 in the Group A to qualify for the upcoming stage. I the other match of the day, Seaqaqa have beaten Rakiraki by 3-1.

Bua advanced to 2020 Senior Division’s IDC semi-finals – Fiji FA Media

Dreketi and Rakiraki will today face off at the Uprising Resort Ground in Navua, in a game that will decide which team will go through the semi-finals and which team will go home. You can check more information about 2020 Senior Division’s IDC by clicking here.