Oceania Football Center

Mateisuva shows versatility in Labasa’s victory over Nadi

Labasa faced Nadi at Prince Charles Park last weekend and the Babasiga Lions defeated their opponents by 1-0 with a goal scored by Ilisoni Lolaivalu to remain in the fifth position in 2020 Vodafone Premier League with nineteen points in thirteen matches.

Despite the important victory, there is a particular fact that must be highlighted. Labasa had only fifteen players listed for this match, which means that four players started the game on the bench: Akuila Mateisuva, Kirtesh Prasad, Taniela Rakariva and Taniela Waqa.

Waqa and Prasad replaced Siotame Kubu and Ashnil Raju in the second half while goalkeeper Mateisuva and striker Rakariva remained on the bench. In the 79th minute, Rajiv Sharma, who is an outfield player, left the field to be replaced by Mateisuva, while Rakariva remained on the bench because he was not feeling well.

Akuila Mateisuva came from the bench to play as an outfield player

Mateisuva was an outfield player the final minutes of the clash and he had a decent performance. Another player who performed well was goalkeeper Mohammed Alam, who kept a clean sheet to help his side to beat Nadi by 1-0. You can check the current Vodafone Premier League standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.

Roy Krishna back to training in India

It has been seventeen days since Roy Krishna arrived in India, but the first training session of the Fijian star with ATK-Mohun Bagan took place this Monday because he had to be in quarentine for two weeks.

Now, the legendary player from Fiji is back to action and he wants to get ready for the next season: “It took 40 long days to get here. Four flight connections, 10 covid tests and 30 days in quarantine in 3 different countries. Yesterday was my first day back at training. So excited to be with the boys again as we prepare for another exciting season,” stated Krishna on social media.

It is going to be Krishna’s second season playing at Indian Super League, the major football league from India. He has already proven himself in the league by being one of the best players of 2019-20 season when his side ATK lifted the trophy after beating Chennaiyin by 3-1 in the final.

The 2020-21 Indian Super League is expected to be contested 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.

Brasileiro vence prêmio de melhor jogador em Vanuatu

A temporada 2019-20 está prestes a terminar em Vanuatu, pois a final da liga nacional será disputada nesta semana. Entretanto, um meia brasileiro tem chamado a atenção no país e foi recentemente coroado com o prêmio de Melhor Jogador da PVFA – uma das associações regionais de futebol no país.

Roberson Felipe dos Santos Ribeiro é um meio campista de 29 anos que está em Vanuatu desde o ano passado. O brasileiro ajudou sua equipe, Galaxy FC, a conquistar uma vaga na liga nacional. Com 11 gols marcados na PVFA Premier League, Roberson foi o vice artilheiro da competição, além de ter distribuído muitas assistências e encantado os torcedores locais com sua habilidade e técnica.

Roberson foi eleito o melhor jogador da PVFA Premier League

Agora, Roberson tem a missão de liderar sua equipe rumo ao título nacional. O Galaxy FC enfrentará o RueRue em partida válida pelas semifinais da liga nacional. O confronto será disputado nesta madrugada (horário de Brasília) pois o fuso horário de Vanuatu está 14 horas a frente do nosso. Desejamos sorte ao Roberson nesta reta final de temporada!

Fijian defender Samuela Kautoga joins Waitakere United

The 2020-21 ISPS Handa Men’s Premiership is set to kick-off this month and the eight participating teams are looking for new players to strengthen their squads for the upcoming season. One of the most traditional football teams from New Zealand, Waitakere United, confirmed that Fijian player Samuela Kautoga joined the team.

Kautoga is a 33-year-old defender with great experience. He last played for Western Springs at Lotto NRFL Premier Men’s, one of the most important regional leagues from New Zealand. He was a regular starter at Springs and he played five matches in the season as the league was cancelled due to restrictions caused by COVID-19 pandemics.

SEE ALSO
Fijian defender Scott Wara on trial with Newcastle United from England;
Fijian youngster Kishan Sami on trial with Auckland City

He also played 16 matches for Fiji National Team from 2007 to 2017. Now he is ready to strengthen Waitakere City in 2020-21 ISPS Handa Men’s Premiership. Waitakere’s first match of the season will be against Canterbury United on November 14. You can check the full league schedule by clicking here.

New Caledonia: Gilles Tavergeux is the new president of FCF

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Gilles Tavergeux is the new president of Fédération Calédonienne de Football (FCF). He received 11 of the 19 votes in an election held in Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, last Saturday. He takes over the post previously held by Steeve Laigle, who received the remaining eight votes in the above-mentioned election.

Tavergeux is a former goalkeeper, which means that he has strong links with local football. He won 1997 Caledonia Cup with CA-Saint Louis by scoring the decisive penalty in the shootout against Gaïtcha. The new FCF president is also the president of AS Mont-Dore, one of the most important teams from New Caledonia.

Gilles Tavergeux is the new president of FCF – *LNC NC*

Noam Tiem was elected as the First Vice President. Adrien Apikaoua, André Hnawang, Hari Irene, Michel Messaud and Tony Dupre are confirmed as Ordinary Members while Women’s Member and Second Vice President spots are not decided yet.

It is not going to be his first experience inside FCF as he was the vice-president of the federation from 2007 to 2011. Tavergeux will be in charge of the local federation until 2024. Oceania Football Center congratulate him for being elected as the new president.

Teaonui Tehau scores six goals as Vénus demolish Excelsior in Ligue 1 VINI

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AS Excelsior and AS Vénus clashed at Stade Pater in the fourth matchweek of Ligue 1 VINI, the top tier football league from Tahiti. After losing to AS Pirae by 12-1 last weekend, AS Excelsior players and staff were trying to recover from this heavy loss against AS Vénus, one of the strongest teams from Tahiti.

Orirau Tehio opened the scoreboard for AS Excelsior in the seventh minute of the game, which put a smile on their supporters’ faces. However, this happiness did not last long: Teaonui Tehau found the net for AS Vénus in the 12th minute while his teammate Tauhiti Keck scored three minutes later to put them ahead.

This match started to become a nightmare for AS Excelsior: Teaonui Tehau scored his second goal of the day in the 31st minute while Gael Mabiala also found the net to put AS Vénus ahead by 4-1 in the first half.

Teaonui Tehau led AS Vénus against AS Excelsior

Unable to sketch out any kind of reaction in the second half, AS Excelsior succumbed and ended up defeated by 10-1. Powerful striker Teaonui Tehau finished the match with six goals scored. Gael Mabiala scored a brace while Tauhiti Keck and Manuarii Shan scored once each. Tehau is the current top scorer of 2020-21 Ligue 1 VINI with ten goals in three matches.

AS Vénus are currently in the third position with three wins in three matches. On the other hand, AS Excelsior have four losses in four matches. In addition, AS Excelsior have the worst defensive record in the league with 27 goals conceded. You can check the current Ligue 1 VINI standings, results and top scorers by clicking here.

Charles Mani joins Central Coast FC

One of the most promising players from the Solomon Islands, Charles Mani is back to his homeland after a stint in New Zealand and now the 18-year-old forward is ready to take part of 2020 Telekom S-League’s second round as he joined Central Coast FC.

Charles will team up with another rising stars like Densly Geseni, Javin Wae and Philip Ropa – who were Mani’s teammates in the U-17 National Team last year. The arrival of this great forward is a big deal for the tem coached by Jacob Moli as Central Coast FC have the third worst offensive record in the league this season with only eleven goals scored in ten matches.

Mani is one of the most promising players from the Solomon Islands *– OFC Media*

Mani played for Kossa FC in the last Telekom S-League season before moving abroad to study at Long Bay College in New Zealand. The young forward last played for Hibiscus Coast at LOTTO NRFL Division 2, one of the regional football leagues from New Zealand.

Ba win Women’s IDC for the second straight year in Fiji

Ba and Labasa clashed at ANZ Stadium in Suva to decide which side would lift the 2020 Women’s Inter-District Championship trophy. Despite being the favourites, Ba had to work the extra mile to beat their opponents to win the tournament for the second straight year.

Koleta Likuculacula opened the scoreboard in the 19th minute to put Ba ahead while Labasa equalized in the beginning of the second half. With The 1-1 draw remained until the end of the 90 minutes and the winning team was decided in the extra time.

Both teams had chances to score but the draw remained until the second half of time when Ba’s captain Koleta Likuculacula scored her second goal of the day to help her side to clinch the Inter-District Championship’s title. Likuculacula performed in a great level during the tournament and she received the Golden Ball Award, while her teammate Cema Nasau won the Golden Boot Award for scoring ten goals in the tournament.

Ba players and staff celebrating the title – *Fiji FA Media*

In the third place play-off match, Suva have beaten Rewa at extra time to secure the third place. Viniana Riwai and Jijilia Dugucanavanua scored once each to seal Suva’s 2-0 win. You can check more information about 2020 Women’s Inter-District Championship by clicking here.

Dona and Massing join Yatel FC

Despite finishing 2019-20 PVFA Premier League in sixth place, Yatel FC have faced many problems over the season and management is looking for new players to strengthen their squad for next season so they can be even more competitive in 2020-21.

Three new players are already confirmed in the squad for next season. The first one is Jackson Tasso – a 27-year-old midfielder who last played for Erakor Golden Star – while the other two players are Frederick Massing and Gordshem Dona.

SEE ALSO
Jackson Tasso joins Yatel FC
Lucien Hinge joins Ifira Black Bird

Dona (left) and Massing (right) will strengthen Yatel FC next season

Dona is a reliable defender who last played for Tafea and he also played nine matches for Vanuatu National Football Team. On the other hand, Massing is a talented midfielder who wrote his name in the history of national sport by scoring the goal that qualified Vanuatu for 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

David Browne shines as HJK clinch Veikkausliiga title in Finland

HJK visited IFK Mariehamn at Wiklof Holding Arena in the 21st matchweek of Veikkausliiga – the top tier league from Finland. This match could be special for the HJK, as a victory would give them the national title, and it was!

After starting three consecutive matches on the bench, Papua New Guinea international David Browne was finally back to HJK’s starting eleven, and he did not disappoint as the 24-year-old winger shone by delivering three assists in the contest.

Markus Halsti opened the scoreboard for HJK after a nice cross from the left wing by David Browne. The Papua New Guinean winger was on fire as he delivered his second assist of the day a few minutes later by crossing a perfect ball to Roope Riski who headed it into the net to extend HJK’s lead.

David Browne had a great performance against IFK Mariehamn – *HJK Media*

Riski found the net again in the 38th minute by scoring direct from a corner while Eetu Vertainen scored HJK’s fourth goal in the beginning of the second half. The last goal of the contest was scored by Tim Väyrynen who pushed the ball into the net after a nice pass by Browne.

HJK have now 47 points in 21 matches. They are now six points ahead second placed side KuPS with one match to go, which confirmed the 30th Finnish championship in the history of the club. It was Browne’s second title with HJK as they won the local cup earlier this year. You can check the current Veikkausliiga standings by clicking here.