Newly promoted Navua have beaten Labasa by 2-1 at Uprising Resort Ground. This result puts both teams tied with seven points each on bottom of the table which means that the fight against relegation will be very interesting this year in Vodafone Premier League.
Youngster Thomas Dunn stole the ball on Labasa’s defense and opened the scoreboard for Navua in the 14th minute to put his side ahead until the second half when veteran defender Taniela Waqa headed the ball into the net to equalize for Labasa.
Both teams were working hard to find the net to grab three points as the match was heading into the final minutes – and Navua had better luck as Mannav Permal passed by two defenders to score a beautiful goal in the 89th minute to put his side ahead. At the final whistle the score was 2-1 for Navua.
Navua starting eleven against Labasa – Fiji FA Media
It was a huge result for Navua as they now have seven points in the league – the same number of points that Labasa have. Despite having the same amount of points, these two teams are living different moments in the season. While Navua are dreaming about staying in Vodafone Premier League by improving game by game, the Babasiga Lions lost their third league match in a row.
After having a wonderful 2019 season, Labasa are now one step away from the relegation zone: “The players do not listen, they are told to do something but they do something else,” said Labasa’s head coach Ronil Lal after the match.
With five rounds to go, we can expect an intense battle against relegation. Labasa need to find a solution to end their bad streak if they want to stay in the major football league from Fiji. You can check the current Vodafone Premier League standings by clicking here.
The fifteenth matchweek of 2019-20 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League started with a big problem as Star Mountain FC walked off pitch after a poor decision from the referee in the clash against Morobe United at Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium in Lae.
Star Mountain’s forward William Lahai found the net in the 60th minute to equalize the match at 2-2, and that was the beginning of a huge and shameful mess for Papua New Guinean football. After the goal, Morobe United players started to complain and a long discussion between referees and coaches started.
Star Mountain’s starting eleven against Vitiaz United – PNGFA Media
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea Football Association posted in match’s official livestream that the footage should be showed to match officials but the replay could not be used by referees as PNG National Soccer League does not have Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The reason that led the referee to disallow the goal is already clear as there was an irregularity in the throw-in that culminated in the goal. After fifteen minutes, the goal was officially disallowed and Star Mountain players walked off pitch and the match was called off. You can watch the disallowed goal by clicking here.
It is not known whether or not the remaining minutes of the game will be played on another date. In any case, this is a case that should be resolved by the National Soccer League and the PNG Football Association as soon as possible.
As Navua steps on the pitch to take Labasa today at Uprising Sports Centre they will have a golden chance to collect three points against a direct opponent at the bottom of the table. After suffering a harsh 5-0 defeat against Nadi, the Navuans will have a great chance against Labasa – the Babasiga Lions will not count on some important players including the star Antonio Tuivuna and Navua will be playing at their home grounda against a team that is not doing well so far in the season.
The team captained by Vineet Chand got their only win in the league before the break for Battle of Giants tournament with a fantastic comeback against Nasinu – a 3-2 win that delighted the fans of Navua and give them some hopes to continue in the Vodafone Premier League for the next season.
It is clear the aspirations of Navua this season is not to be relegated; the current Vodafone Senior League winners are now only three points away their opponents of the day – Labasa – and a win can tie in points with Babasiga Lions and give them clear hopes to avoid relegation.
Navua in Battle of Giants – Fiji FA Media
Navua had a decent campaign in Battle of Giants despite being knocked-out in the group stage; the team in red won Lautoka by 3-1 in a famous win for the current Vodafone Premier League bottom-ranked side.
For this match against Labasa, Navua will expect to see Apisai Smith back to his goalscoring ways and the talented youngster Thomas Dunn that was recently called up for the Fiji national team training camp.
The match will kick-off at 7pm FJT at Uprising Sports Centre in Navua.
Current league leaders Rewa have the chance to extend their lead on top of the table as second placed Suva and third placed Ba will clash at ANZ Stadium on this Saturday while Labasa cannot lose to Navua if they want to stay in the Premier League.
The Vodafone Premier League’s ninth matchweek brings exiciting match as the major football league from Fiji heads into crunch time. Currently in the seventh position with seven points, Labasa will face Navua at Uprising Resort Ground and they do need to win to stay out of relegation zone. This match is Navua’s biggest chance to get closer to Labasa and dream about staying in the top-tier of Fijian football.
Labasa will not count on Antonio Tuivuna, Ilisoni Lolaivalu and Lekima Gonerau who are suspended while goalkeeper Akuila Mateisuva might miss this match as well after getting injured last week against Suva. AAnd it is with all these problems that Babasiga Lions will play an important away match: “Playing any team at their home is always tough so I don’t think it will be an easy ride for us. They’ll come out firing and they know that we are beaten so definitely they will be out firing and we will need to take heed of that and prepare well for Navua,” said Labasa’s head coach Ronil Lal.
Currently living a bad moment, Lautoka have a difficult challenge against Nadi at Prince Charles Park. The Bluez are in the fifth position in the league and the supporters are surely disappointed with team’s performance. On the other hand, Nadi have improved after COVID-19 pandemics and they have the best attack in the league with seventeen goals scored in eight matches so we can expect good things from them – “I think we are preparing well for this game and we want to see how consistent we are playing against Navua and we saw we made some mistakes which we ironed out and we prepared really well,” said Nadi’s head coach Kamal Swamy.
After an 1-1 draw against Ba, league leaders Rewa have the opportunity to grab three more points against Nasinu to stay on top of the table. However, the Delta Tigers will need to work hard to beat their opponents. Despite being in the sixth position with only eight points, Nasinu were a tough challenge for Rewa earlier this year in the second matchweek of the season when Rewa won by 4-3: “Nasinu is a good team and currently they’ve been disappointing other teams in terms of disrupting their performance. We cannot take away anything from Nasinu, they are equally good and they have grown game by game as the players are bettering themselves.” stated Rewa’s head coach Marika Rodu.
Rewa players celebrating a goal – Fiji FA Media
The most exciting game of the weekend is surely the clash between Ba and Suva at ANZ Stadium. Both sides will play all-out on this Sunday as a win can put one of these teams on top of the table if Rewa lose to Nasinu. While Ba are not going to count on Sanaila Waqanicakau who is suspended, Suva must have Filipe Baravilala in the starting eleven as the right back is cleared to play after missing last weekend’s match due to suspension.
After this weekend there will be only five rounds left for the end of the Vodafone Premier League so these matches can define the future of the championship. You can check the current league standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
Currently in the third position in 2019-20 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Hekari United need to grab three points this weekend against Gulf Komara. However, the team coached by Eric Komeng will not count on two important players: defender Carlos Onne and forward Raymond Gunemba.
According to local sources, both players are injured and did not train with the team throughout the week. Onne had a swollen knee while Gunemba suffers from back pain after falling down with his back in the pitch in last weekend’s match against Vitiaz United.
Gunemba (left) and Onne (right) will not be available against Gulf Komara
Another player that will miss this match is Nathan James. The 25-year-old midfielder is not with the team as he travelled home to go to his grandmother’s funeral.
The clash between Hekari and Gulf Komara is expected to kick-off at 11am (local time) at PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby. You can check the current league standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
Third-placed Hekari United are facing a must-win clash against fourth-placed Gulf Komara this weekend as they cling to the hope that they may still finish in the top two of this year’s Papua New Guinea National Soccer League.
The most decorated side in Papua New Guinea football history sits three points behind newcomers Vitiaz United and five points behind huge rivals Lae City with just four matches left in the season before the playoffs. A defeat this week could see them almost out of reach of the title, but a win, conversely, could see them leapfrog Vitiaz and draw within two points of Lae, depending on how results go elsewhere.
The Red Army have endured a sluggish second half of the season, losing twice – to Star Mountain and Lae City – drawing once – against Vitiaz – and winning two of their five games. Their remaining fixtures, starting with Gulf Komara this weekend, all come against teams below them in the table, so four wins from four is expected, and indeed necessary, but may still not be enough to break into the top two.
Historically, PNG has sent the top two sides in the regular season to represent the nation at the OFC Champions League, so finishing third could see the club crucially miss out on the continental competition for the third time in four seasons – they missed the 2018 and 2019 editions due to the breakaway from the PNGFA.
Hekari United have the best defence in the league but two defeats in the second half of the season have damaged their title hopes
A win against Gulf Komara will not be an easy task, however. The side is in decent recent form, having won their last two games by two goals to one, and striker Ilagi Geno has scored three of those four goals, so will pose a threat to the Hekari defence. They are also fighting to retain their position in the end-of-season playoffs, having moved into fourth at the expense of Tusbab Stallions last week, so they will be desperate to retain that position going into the final three games of the season.
Hekari-Komara kicks off at 11am local time, and is followed by Tusbab Stallions against FC Bougainville. Although Stallions are technically the home side in the fixture, due to COVID-related restrictions, they are unable to play in their hometown of Madang, so must travel to Port Moresby instead. This disadvantages them slightly, given that their opponents, Bougainville, are POM-based, and will probably benefit from home advantage more than the Stallions will. Both Wadunah brothers will return to the Stallions midfield, and they will be hoping that Bougainville, who won their first match since February last week, will still be suffering from a post-Percy Mataio hangover.
The final game in the capital is Vitiaz United against FC Kutubu, which on paper should be a walk in the park for the second-placed side. Kutubu do have players poached from Morobe United that may be able to cause problems for Vitiaz – the likes of Dinniget Luaine, Emmanuel Simongi and Oberth Simon – but Vitiaz look calm and collected in midfield and absolutely lethal up front, and should have too much about them for the bottom side to handle.
Raymond Gunemba (in black) is an injury doubt for Hekari United. Photo: PNGFA
In Lae, Morobe United host Star Mountain in the 11am kick-off, with both sides looking to collect vital points that could give them an outside chance at a playoff spot if other sides ahead of them slip up. United, as the home side, should have the advantage, but Star Mountain are capable of pulling a big result out of the bag, as demonstrated when they defeated Hekari 2-1 just before the COVID-enforced break, and a win could put them in a very handy position going into the final stretch.
At 1pm, Lae City take on Morobe Wawens in a game they will expect to win. Wawens have been rather inconsistent this season, but have looked good at home, with all five of their wins this season coming in Lae. However, Lae defeated Wawens 5-1 back in January, and are arguably in even better form than they were back then. Can Wawens pull off an upset and shuffle the standings at the top of the league once again? Only time will tell.
The final stages of the PNG National Soccer League are coming: only three weeks and we will know the four qualified teams for the semi-final stage and premiers of the regular season. Vitiaz United, Lae City and Hekari United are the teams at the top of the table battling for the minor premiership, while Gulf Komara, Tusbab Stallions and Morobe Wawens are the most likely sides to contest for the final fourth spot in the decisive part of the season.
But another interesting contest is ahead in Papua New Guinea: who is going to be top goalscorer of the season? The question might continue unanswered until the final match of the season as various players are close to each other in the golden boot table. Since the start of the season, the then Tusbab Stallions forward Stahl Gubag was at the top of the list, but since he joined Lae City the prominent player just could notch one goal so far – ten in total of the season. This allowed the impressive Vitiaz United duo Jonathan Allen and Mathew David to get closer to him in the contest; now Allen has the same number of goals of Gubag while David is just one behing both of them. But, it is always good to remember: Raymond Gunemba is still there. The now Hekari United star has eight goals so far in the season and his quality can not be counted out of the contest for the golden boot.
Lae City of Stahl Gubag will be playing again at Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium against rivals Morobe Wawens this weekend. Hekari United will have an interesting clash against Gulf Komara while Allen and David’s Vitiaz United will be playing against FC Kutubu in Port Moresby.
Certainly, the goal for these star players is to get the glory at the end of the season to be crowned PNG National Soccer League champions, but it is obviously remarkable to be the top goalscorer of a competition – specially when you end up winning it.
While Raymond Gunemba just got off the mark a week ago against FC Kutubu scoring a brace, the former Lae City man Mathew David scored a total of seven goals in two matches putting him as a surprise contender for the golden boot award.
Stahl Gubag and Jonathan Allen are tied at the top of the list of scorers of the season – PNGFA Media
An interesting fact about the top four scorers of the season so far is that all of them changed clubs in the mid-season transfer window: Allen was a FC Boungainville player, David reinforced Vitiaz coming from Lae City, while Stahl scored nine of his ten goals as Tusbab Stallions player and Raymond Gunemba playing the biggest part of the league as Lae City forward before joining Port Moresby-side Hekari United.
Other well-known players are also in the contest for the prize; as Lae City’s Emmanuel Simon with seven goals so far in the season and the Hekari United duo Kolu Kepo and Nigel Dabinyaba with six each. The three players have plenty of quality to score a number of goals battle for the award, but they are currently very behind Gubag and Allen. But, for them, at least more four matches are to come in the season.
Place your bets – who is going to earn the golden boot of the PNG National Soccer League season?
The 2020 OFC Champions League is officially cancelled. The Executive Committee of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has taken the decision to cancel the remaining phases of the tournament.
Champions League’s group stage was contested earlier this year. However, the knock-out stage could not take place due to COVID-19 pandemics that forced countries to establish border restrictions and stop football activities.
The OFC had a plan to finish the Champions League in a small tournament contested by the eight remaining teams – just as the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) did with 2019-20 UEFA Champions League that had its final matches played in Portugal – but this was not possible due to border restrictions and logistics.
There will be financial support for these eight teams that were supposed to play OFC Champions League’s quarter-finals to help them with any costs related to COVID-19. It is important to remember that the Champions League is not the first tournament cancelled by OFC this year as the 2020 OFC Nations Cup was cancelled as well.
FIFA has not yet taken a decision on 2020 Club World Cup, but if they decide to continue the Club World Cup, the OFC Executive Committee will meet again to decide on a method for selecting and appointing a club for the tournament.
Oceania Football Center support the decision taken by the confederation given the circumstances. Anyway, we cannot wait for the next OFC Champions League. You can check all information about the cancelled tournament by clicking here.
The current Telekom S-League season is being a very interesting one. While Henderson Eels are on top with twelve points, there are another good teams that must be watched like Central Coast, Honiara City, Laugu United, Solomon Warriors. The fifth matchweek of the league brings exciting clashes, including two matches between teams from the top five.
Malaita Kingz and Marist FC will clash in the opening game of the week on Saturday. While Marist won their first match of the season on Wednesday with two goals scored by veteran Abraham Iniga, Kingz still want to grab a point as they are in the last position with four losses in four games.
Iniga (left) scored twice in Marist’s 3-0 win over Kossa on Wednesday – Telekom S-League Media
The second match of the day is going to be contested between Real Kakamora and current league champions Solomon Warriors. While Kakamora showed evolution in the past games, Warriors still need to perform in a better level if they want to fight for the national title. The arrival of a new head coach can be a game changer to them.
After smashing Southern United by 10-0, current league leaders Henderson Eels come to the pitch on Sunday against newcomers Honiara City that have not lost in the league yet. It is obvious that Eels’ fans have high expectations for this match but Honiara City have already proven that they have an organized side; let’s see if Joses Nawo and Raphael Lea’i will be able to lead Eels to another win.
Henderson Eels’ players celebrating a goal – Telekom S-League Media
Sunday’s second match will be contested between two teams that are not having a good moment: Isabel United and Southern United. While Isabel United are still looking for their first point in the league, Southern need to recover from the 10-0 loss against Henderson Eels. It is going to be an interesting clash as both teams are coached by local legends: Gideon Omokirio (Isabel) and Stanley Waita (Southern). Regardless of the final score, both teams have to show something better this weekend.
Central Coast and Laugu United will clash on Wednesday in the last game of the week. While Central are in the third position in the table with seven points, Laugu are in the fifth position just one point behind them. Both teams are well organised – specially Central Coast – and it is going to be a very good game for those who love the sport. Laugu United might have a slight advantage because they had two weeks to prepare for this game as they are coming from a bye week.
After a 3-0 loss to Marist FC, Kossa will have a bye week, which means that head coach Fred Osifelo will have time to work on the team needs. You can check the current league standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.
Football is resuming slowly in Tahiti after the cancellation of 2019-20 season due to COVID-19 pandemics. Local clubs and players are working hard to play the upcoming season that must kick-off later this month.
One of the teams that is having a great preparation is AS Central Sport. After a bad campaign in the last Ligue 1 season, the team coached by Franck Mathieu wants to fight for the title in 2020-21. Mathieu is leading an intense preseason that includes friendly matches.
Central Sport has already played four friendlies in the preseason. The first match was a 4-2 win over AS Excelsior two weeks ago and the last one was a 3-0 win over AS Tefana. Two other matches were contested by Central: two nil-nil draws against AS Tiare Tahiti and AS Arue.
AS Central Sport (in red) playing against AS Tiare Tahiti – Christophe Fotozz
Central Sport are the biggest winners of Ligue 1 VINI – the top-tier league from Tahiti – with 21 titles. They last won the league in 2017-18.
Oceania Football Center 