The 2020 Premier Men’s has just started in Samoa and current league champions Lupe o le Soaga are having a perfect start in the tournament with three wins in three mathces. The team coached by Paul Ualesi scored 27 goals in these matches and there is a special player that must be highlighted: Vaa Taualai.
Taualai is the current top scorer of the season with eleven goals in three matches. He scored six goals in the opening match against Moata’a and five more goals in the 6-1 win over Lepea last week. Used to playing in midfield, the young player is now adapting to a new function on the pitch once he is playing as a striker: “I have made some changes in the team and now he is playing as a striker as he is a good finisher,” said Lupe o le Soaga’s head coach Paul Ualesi.
Vaa Taualai
He also performed in a good level in 2020 OFC Champions League. He was in Lupe’s starting eleven and he scored one goal in the historical 4-3 win over Ba in the group stage of the major club competition from Oceania.
Taualai and his teammates are currently on top of Samoan Premier Men’s with nine points in three matches. You can check the current league standings and results by clicking here.
Suva reached the second position in 2020 Vodafone Premier League after beating Ba by 2-1 at ANZ Stadium on this Sunday. Forward Sairusi Nalaubu was once again the hero of the day as he scored twice in the clash.
Nalaubu is living a huge moment in Vodafone Premier League – the major football league from Fiji. The 23-year-old forward scored all Suva’s six goals in the last three league matches and now he is leading the Premier League’s Golden Boot race alongside Nadi’s Avinesh Suwamy with six goals each.
Sairusi Nalaubu
He also scored two goals in 2020 Battle of the Giants includin a goal in the semi-final clash against Nadi, which means that he scored eight goals in the last eight matches – a wonderful record for the young forward!
Despite his good record, he was not part of the 30-men squad named by Fiji National Team’s head coach Flemming Serritslev that attended a National Team camp last month. Anyway, Nalaubu is surely a player to be watched by Serritslev.
Kivolyn was named the Man of the Match in Super 8 Secondary Schools’ final. The 19-year-old forward scored an outstanding goal and performed in a high level for Hamilton Boys High School, but it was not enough to clinch the title as they lost to New Plymouth Boys High School by 2-1. You can check his goal by clicking here.
Leslie Kivolyn
He also plays for Melville United in Lotto NRFL Premier Men’s – one of the major football leagues from New Zealand’s winter football season. He played three matches for Melville United’s main squad this season.
Despite losing to Solomon Warriors on this Saturday, Real Kakamora showed evolution in 2020 Telekom S-League season as they are being a competitive side this year. However, Kakamora have to deal with a player who is bringing lots of trouble to the team: Richard Raramo.
Richard Junior Raramo is a 22-year-old defender who played the last Telekom S-League season for Isabel United. However the young player is showing a very bad behaviour inside the pitch as he has seen the red card twice in four matches.
Richard Raramo
His first red card in the season was during Kakamora’s 4-2 win over Southern United on August 23 when he kicked Southern’s forward Augustine Halumwane purposefully. He missed one match suspended due to this red card before returning to the starting eleven this Saturday against Solomon Warriors.
Raramo’s performance against Solomon Warriors was awful. The defender scored an own goal in the 40th minute by pushing the ball into the net after a pass by Warriors’ forward Lency Norman. Things got worse to him in the second half when he was red carded for kicking John Alick on purpose in the 87th minute.
He should receive bigger punishments for his unprofessional attitudes. It is unnaceptable that a former Solomon Islands U-20 National Football Team behaves like this inside the pitch. Telekom S-League Board must think about suspending him for more than just one game.
Henderson Eels’ unbeaten run is over as the league leaders lost to Honiara City. On the other hand, Isabel United managed to grab their first three points of 2020 Telekom S-League season by beating Southern United at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara.
Sunday’s first match was contested between Honiara City and Henderson Eels. Joses Nawo opened the scoreboard for Eels in the second minute of the game after a huge mistake by Honiara’s goalkeeper Anthony Talo. Honiara City managed to bounce back as Fred Fakari scored a beautiful free kick in the eighth minute to equalize while Junior Annie put his side ahead after a big mistake by Eels’ defense.
Youngster Raphael Lea’i received a nice pass and passed by Anthony Talo to score in the 37th minute to equalize the match. Despite all efforts, Henderson Eels did not manage to win the match as Paul Jack scored Honiara City’s third goal in the 55th minute. At the final whistle, Eels were defeated by Honiara City by 3-2. Henderson Eels’ head coach Eddie Marahare pointed that it was a wake-up call for their next match against current league champions Solomon Warriors.
Honiara City have beaten league leaders Henderson Eels by 3-2 – Telekom S-League Media
Isabel United and Southern United clashed in the second match of the day at Lawson Tama Stadium. Both teams have been living tough moments and winning this game could be a turnaround in the season. Thomas Amasia opened the scoreboard for Isabel from the penalty spot while David Supa extended the lead.
Benjamin Totori came from the bench in the 27th minute to replace Bently Kelobi who got injured. The legendary forward managed to score twice to put Isabel ahead by four goals. The fifth and last goal of the team coached by Gideon Omokirio was scored by Alvin Ray in the 60th minute.
Augustine Halumwane scored for Southern United in the 71st minute but it was not enough as the final score was a 5-1 victory for Isabel that grabbed their first three points of the season. Southern United are living a terrible moment in the league as they suffered 19 goals in the last three matches. Head coach Stanley Waita must find a solution to put his team back in the right track.
The last match of the fifth matchweek will be contested between Laugu United and Central coast FC on Wednesday. You can check the current Telekom S-League standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
The ninth matchweek of Vodafone Premier League reached its end on this Sunday when the three remaining matches of the weekend were contested. Battle of the Giants champions Rewa are still on top of the table after beating Nasinu while their biggest rivals Suva are now in the second position as they have beaten Ba at ANZ Stadium.
Nadi and Lautoka clashed at Prince Charles Park in the first match of the day and Sitiveni Cavuilagi opened the scoreboard for Lautoka in the 25th minute to put the Bluez ahead until the end of the first half. Nadi managed to equalize in the beginning of the second half when Avinesh Suwamy found the net with a powerful shot.
Lautoka’s head coach Ravinesh Kumar made a change after the goal as Samuela Gavo came from the bench to replace Shivnil Singh and it worked perfectly as Gavo scored in the 67th minute to put Lautoka ahead once again. However, Nadi showed their power and the Green Machine bounced back as Rusiate Matarerega and Sakaraia Naisua scored once each as Nadi won by 3-2: “It is a lucky win for us especially the second goal as you can see it was a goalkeeper error. But I have always said Lautoka is a good side and good football and we managed to match that which was a good sign,” said Nadi’s head coach Kamal Swamy to FBC Sports.
The second match of the day was contested between Rewa and Nasinu at Ratu Cakobau Park. Despite all efforts, Nasinu were not able to hold the Delta Tigers that won by 1-0 with a goal scored by Tevita Waranaivalu in the first half. Rewa remain on top of the table with twenty points while Nasinu are in the sixth position with eight points – only one point ahead bottom-placed side Navua.
Current league leaders Rewa have beaten Nasinu by 1-0 – Fiji FA Media
Third and last clash of the day was surely the most exciting one as Suva and Ba would be fighting for the second position in the league at ANZ Stadium. This match really met the expectations as Suva had to work hard to beat their opponents. Sairusi Nalaubu was the hero of the day once again by scoring a brace to give Suva the 2-1 win. Ba’s goal was netted by Sumeet Goundar. The Capital City Boys are now in the second position with eighteen points while Ba are now in the third position.
With five rounds to go, Rewa are on the verge of winning the Vodafone Premier League title for the first time in history. The Delta Tigers still have to keep the good moment in order to clinch the league title. You can check the current Vodafone Premier League standings by clicking here.
After eleven months, Tommy Smith is officially back to football. The 30-year-old central defender made his debut for Colchester United in the 3-1 loss to Reading in the first round of 2020-21 EFL Cup in England.
Smith was in Colchester’s starting eleven and he played the full match. Despite all efforts, the New Zealand international and his teammates were not able to hold Reading – a team that is two divisions above them – and they were knocked-out of the tournament.
Tommy Smith debuted for Colchester United – Colchester United Media
It was Tommy Smith’s first official match since last October when he was playing for Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer – the most important football league from the United States of America. He also had a stint at Sunderland AFC earlier this year but he did not play any official match with them.
Born in England, the defender has chosen to represent New Zealand internationally. He has already played 38 matches for All Whites and scored two goals.
The first ever edition of the VFF National League Championship ended on 29 August, but Vanuatu football fans are still trying to understand some important things about this tournament – and this is bringing a lot of anger among fans.
First of all, Group A was contested by five member associations in February: Luganville FA, Malampa FA, Penama FA, Sanma FA and Torba FA – while Malampa Revivors was the sixth team in the group after playing this tournament as guests to help them prepare for the group stage of the 2020 OFC Champions League.
The idea of this tournament is to have the best footballers playing for their respective member associations, but it was a fail. It is crucial to remember that Malampa Revivors is from Luganville which means that Luganville FA did not count on important players for this tournament because they were playing for Malampa Revivors – so it is obvious that they had a big disadvantage in the Group A.
Another thing that intrigued the fans was the fact that Malampa FA also played Group B – alongside Port Vila FA, Shefa FA and Tafea FA – in August, which has caused a stir in the fans. After the tournament it was reported that Malampa FA played Group A as guests – and nobody knew it in February.
The final clash of the tournament was contested between the “winners“ of both groups. Shefa FA advanced to the final after finishing on top of Group B while Sanma FA booked a spot in the final after finishing the Group A in the third position – right after Malampa Revivors and Malampa FA – two teams that should not have played in Group A. Shefa FA were crowned league champions after beating Sanma FA by 3-2 in the final clash.
Many football fans are raising doubts about Vanuatu Football Federation’s credibility – and the federation gives even more reason to generate distrust. While all this is happening, local football suffers.
The fifth matchweek of 2020 Telekom S-League started on this Saturday with two entertaining matches at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara – the capital of the Solomon Islands. Both matches ended with the same final score (3-2) as Solomon Warriors got closer to league leaders Henderson Eels.
Marist FC and Malaita Kingz clashed in the first match of the day and Bobby Lesley opened the scoreboard for his side after a terrible mistake by Malaita’s defense. A few minutes later Abraham Iniga found the net after a free kick taken by Mahew Fagono to extend Marist’s lead. The Kingz still have time to score in the first half with a amazing shot by David Filia in a free kick from the left wing.
In the second half Marist FC kept their dominance and Lesley scored his second goal of the day to put his side ahead by 3-1, but Malaita Kingz managed to cut the difference one minute later when Joshua Araha found the net after a powerful shot. Both teams still tried to score more goals but it did not happen. At the final whistle the score was 3-2 in favour of Marist FC that are currently in the third position with seven points in four matches. On the other hand, Kingz remain on bottom of the table with five losses in five games.
Bobby Lesley scored a brace for Marist FC against Malaita Kingz – Telekom S-League Media
The good match between Marist and Malaita Kingz was surely a good warm up for what came next. Solomon Warriors and Real Kakamora starred a breathtaking match for those who love football. Forward Adrian Mara opened the scoreboard in the 18th minute with a beautiful shot to put Kakamora ahead. Seven minutes later, Alwin Hou headed the ball into the net after a nice cross from the right wing to equalize.
Warriors managed to take the lead in the 40th minute when defender Richard Raramo scored an own goal after a touch by Lency Norman. Real Kakamora had the chance to equalize but team captain Ian Ngahu missed a penalty.
Solomon Warriors’ players celebrating a goal against Real Kakamora – Telekom S-League Media
Things got worse for Real Kakamora in the second half when Liomasia Carlos was sent off after receiving two yellow cards. Despite having only ten players in the pitch, they still managed to equalize with a penalty kick scored by Adrian Mara. The 22-year-old forward had the chance to put his team ahead again in the 86th minute in another penalty kick but Warriors’ goalkeeper Timothy Mae’arasia saved it. One minute later, Richard Raramo saw the red card after a fouling Vanuatu international John Alick. Despite all efforts, Real Kakamora lost the match by 3-2.
Warriors’ biggest problems in the match were the red cards as Molis Junior Gagame and Emmanuel Poila were sent off and must not be available for the next match against current league leaders Henderson Eels on next Sunday.
Solomon Warriors’ head coach William Omokirio recorded his second straight win in charge of the team. He revealed in a post-match interview that it is easier to work with an experienced team who have been together for a while as he is slowly getting to know the players. On the other hand, Kakamora’s assistant coach Sam Wa’aria expressed his satisfaction with the team despite the loss as they now know where they are in comparison to other teams in the league after playing one of the best teams in the league.
Warriors are currently in the second position with ten points in four matches while Kakamora stand in the eighth position with five points. You can check Telekom S-League standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
Galaxy FC and Tupuji Imere clashed at Port Vila Stadium on this Saturday in the final match of 2020 PVFA Knock-Out Tournament, a warm-up tournament before PVFA Premier League’s resumption.
After a nil-nil draw in the 90 minutes, Galaxy FC have beaten Tupuji Imere in penalty shootout to clinch PVFA Knock-Out Tournament’s title. It is Galaxy’s second title of the year as they also won PVFA Independence Cup in July.
Galaxy FC starting eleven against Tupuji Imere – Galaxy FC Media
Galaxy had a marvelous campaign in the tournament: four wins and one draw in five matches. Now the team coached by Moise Poida turns the attention to 2019-20 PVFA Premier League as they are in the third position only one point behind current league leaders Tafea.
Oceania Football Center 