After missing the first weeks of 2020 Telekom S-League due to a head knock, Dennis Ifunaoa is ready to debut in the season. The 28-year-old winger was cleared to play and he will be part of Solomon Warriors’ squad in today’s match against Malaita Kingz.
It is not known if Ifunaoa will be at Warriors’ starting eleven today, but his absence was felt once the team’s attack is having a poor performance so far in the season. If he plays, the current league champions will be even stronger.
Dennis Ifunaoa playing for Solomon Warriors in the past Telekom S-League season
Currently in the sixth position with four points, Warriors need to win if they want to get closer to the leaders. The clash against Malaita Kingz is expected to kick-off at 4pm (local time) at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara – the capital of the Solomon Islands – and there will be an official livestream on Telekom S-League’s Facebook page.
Nando Pijnaker is the newest player of Rio Ave FC from Portugal. The official announcement was made on Rio Ave’s official Instagram account. The 21-year-old defender from New Zealand moves to Portugal after spending eight months with Grasshopper from Switzerland.
Pijnaker played only two matches for Grasshopper’s main team in Challenge League – the second-tier of Swiss football. Now he has the opportunity to show his talent in Portugal’s first division.
Pijnaker joins Rio Ave FC – Rio Ave Media
Rio Ave is Pijnaker’s third club in European football. He arrived in the continent last year when he joined Torslanda IK from Sweden after performing in a great level during 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup held in Poland.
Oceania Football Center wish good luck to Nando in his new club!
The fourth matchweek of 2020 Telekom S-League kicked-off on this Saturday as two matches were contested at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara – the capital of the Solomon Islands. It was an amazing day for Henderson Eels that are now five points ahead second-placed Central Coast FC.
A well organised Central Coast faced a weird Isabel United in the first match of the day and the final score was not a surprise. Youngster Philip Ropa and Atana Fa’arodo scored once each in a 2-0 win that pushed Central Coast into the second position in the table.
Current league leaders Henderson Eels faced Southern United in the second match of the day and the final score was better than the expectation of the most optimistic Eels fan: 10-0. Joses Nawo (4) and Raphael Lea’i (2) were on fire once again to lead the team against Southern. Derrick Taebo, Hudson Felani, Obed Ofea and Tutizama Tanito scored the other goals.
Henderson Eels’ Joses Nawo scored four goals against Southern United – Telekom S-League Media
The team coached by Eddie Marahare is living a marvelous moment in the league: four wins and 23 goals scored in four matches. Henderson Eels are deservedly on top of the table and it seems that there is no other team that can stop them.
Two other matches will be contested at Lawson Tama Stadium on this Sunday: Honiara City vs Real Kakamora and Solomon Warriors vs Malaita Kingz. You can check the current league standings and the top scorers of the tournament by clicking here.
Marama Vahirua is surely the greatest Tahitian footballer from all time. Retired from football, he had a good career playing for French clubs like Monaco Nantes and OGC Nice and now he is back to football, not as a player, but as a coach.
The Tahitian legend was appointed the assistant coach of OGC Nice U19 team where he is working with his former teammate Emerse Faé: “The stress of training, of competition, even if I amnot a player anymore, these are things that I missed and that I found with pleasure,” revealed Vahirua.
Vahirua is back to OGC Nice as U19 team’s assistant coach – OGC Nice Media
Despite knowing the club very well, he found a different club than the one he played many years ago: “This is no longer the same club at all. It is a club that has grown a lot in recent years. I am proud to have been able to contribute to this construction. And what makes me even prouder today is to continue to contribute to the club’s further growth. I am proud to be able to pass on the values and love of this jersey to our youngsters,” he revealed ito Tahiti Infos.
Vahirua scored 23 goals in 111 matches for OGC Nice from 2004 to 2007. Oceania Football Center wish him good luck in his career as a coach.
Christchurch United visited bottom-placed Western AFC at Walter Park in the fifteenth matchweek of 2020 Mainland Premier League – one of the football leagues from New Zealand winter season – on this Saturday.
Despite playing at home, Western AFC were not the favourites to win. The team coached by Kelly Jarden won only one match in the current season – a 2-1 win over Selwyn United three weeks ago. Christchurch United took advantage of Western’s fragility to score many goals.
Max Chrétien was surely the best player in the contest as he scored four goals for his side. However the most celebrated moment of this match took place in the second half when Tongan youngster Kina Likiliki scored his first goal for Christchurch United’s main team.
Likiliki (right) scored his first goal for Christchurch United’s main team – Christchurch United Media
The 20-year-old forward came from the bench in the 50th minute and ten minutes later he received a long pass and he had the composture to beat the goalkeeper before pushing the ball into the net: “It was amazing. I remember just coming to the game visualizing myself scoring […] but the best is yet to come as I am working hard to improve more and more,” revealed Likiliki after the match.
Christchurch United are in the sixth position in the Mainland Premier League with eighteen points in fifteen matches while Western United remain in the last position with four points. You can check all results from Mainland Premier League by clicking here.
The 2020 VFF National League Championship reached its end on this Saturday when Shefa FA (Southern Region) and Sanma FA (Northern Region) clashed at Korman Stadium in Port Vila – the capital of Vanuatu.
Anthony Belly opened the scoreboard for Sanma FA in the fifth minute of the game after a terrible mistake by Shefa’s goalkeeper Daniel Alick. Twenty minutes later Kaltfer Kaltack equalized after a nice cross from the right wing.
Shefa started the second half performing in a good level and forward Tonly Kalotang scored twice to put his side ahead by two goals. Sanma’s Anthony Belly still managed to score again, but it was not enough to equalize and Shefa FA were crowned the champions after a 3-2 win in the final clash.
Shefa’s captain Jayson Timatua receiving the trophy from Vanuatu Football Federation president Lambert Maltock – OFC Media
Shefa FA had an outstanding campaign as they remained unbeaten in the tournament and some players like Tonly Kalotang and Jayson Timatua must be highlighted and it would not be a surprise if we see both in Vanuatu National Football Team soon.
France is one of the strongest countries when it comes to football. Current FIFA World Cup champions, the European nation has open doors for footballers from French territories, including Tahiti and New Caledonia from Oceania.
It is known that many players from these territories play in France like Georges Gope-Fenepej from New Caledonia and Terai Bremond from Tahiti. While these players are already known in French football, another player from New Caledonia is ready to debut in Europe: Mickael Tiaou.
Tiaou is a 28-year-old defender who left AS Magenta and moved to France. After some months in his new place, it was confirmed that he is going to play for Montreuil-Juigné Béné Football – a team that plays in Pays de la Loire Regional 3, a regional league that is part of French 8th tier.
Mickael Tiaou
He made his official debut for New Caledonia National Football Team last year in a 3-0 loss to Fiji. He played seven matches for Les Cagous. Oceania Football Center wish him good luck in his new club.
The fourth matchweek of 2020 Telekom S-League is ready to kick-off as five matches are going to be contested from this Saturday to Wednesday at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara – the capital of the Solomon Islands.
Currently in the second position, Laugu United will not play as they are having a bye week which means that they must lose some positions in the league table. On the other hand, league leaders Henderson Eels will remain on top even if they lose as no other team can reach them in this matchweek.
The first game of this matchweek will be contested between Isabel United and Central Coast – two teams that lost on the last weekend. It is a very important clash for both teams, specially for Isabel United that are in the tenth position without a single point. Despite having some top players like Benjamin Totori and Michael Boso, the team coached by Gideon Omokirio does not impress the fans. On the other hand, Central Coast have showed more than Isabel so far in the league and it would not be a surprise if the team coached by Jacob Moli grabs all points from this match.
Henderson Eels and Southern United are the teams that will come to the pitch in the second match of the week. As it was previously said, Eels will remain on top of the table even if they lose, but Eddie Marahare and his players want to win again. The powerful attack led by Raphael Lea’i and Joses Nawo is ready to score and score and Southern’s head coach Stanley Waita – who coached Lea’i in the FIFA U17 World Cup last year – needs to find a solution to stop them.
Henderson Eels are currently leading the league – Telekom S-League Media
Currently in the third position, Honiara City are still unbeaten in the league and now they have the opportunity to reach the second position in the table. For that, it is necessary to beat Real Kakamora that recently won their first match of the season against Southern United. While Honiara City will have all their players available for the contest, Kakamora will have to deal with the absence of team captain Richard Raramo who saw a red card in the last match.
There are more teams interested on reaching the second position, and one of these teams is current league champions Solomon Warriors. After a 2-2 draw against Kossa, the Warriors have the mission to beat bottom-placed Malaita Kingz on Sunday. Both teams need to show something different in this clash because Warriors and Kingz are having poor performances so far in the season.
The last clash of this matchweek will be contested between Kossa FC and Marist FC. While Kossa want to keep fighting for the second position, Marist need to find the right path in order to win their first match of the season. Both teams have young players who can make a difference – while Kossa’s forward Barrie Limoki is living a huge moment, Marist’s defender John Aeta must deal with the responsibility of being the team captain. The good thing for Marist supporters is that the team is coming from a bye week which means that head coach Patrick Miniti had more time to make the necessary changes for this match.
Second-placed Vitiaz United and third-placed Hekari United will go head-to-head this weekend in Port Moresby in a match which could have huge ramifications on the recipient of this year’s Papua New Guinea National Soccer League Minor Premiership.
With both sides boasting the best firepower in the league – Vitiaz’ Jonathan Allen and Mathew David each have nine for the season, while Hekari’s front three of Gunemba, Dabinyaba and Kolu Kepo have 20 between them – it could be a goal-fest, although Hekari also have the honour of having the best defensive record in the division so far, having conceded only 7 goals in thirteen games.
Raymond Gunemba scored two goals for Hekari United last week against FC Kutubu. Photo: PNGFA
In last week’s victory against FC Kutubu, Hekari manager Eric Komeng shuffled the midfield trio, switching out Gregory Togubai and Michael Foster for Willie Gia and Wira Wama, a move which allowed Muta more flexibility in a creative attacking midfield role. How Komeng sets out his midfield against Vitiaz could be key to where Saturday’s three points will go.
Whichever way the game goes, Lae City will be feeling as if the pressure is off them slightly this weekend. They kick-off at the same time as Hekari and Vitiaz – 11am – against FC Kutubu in Lae, so we’ll know the standings going into the final four matchdays well before the end of play on Saturday. Lae must be feeling confident after their 9-2 victory over managerless Bougainville last weekend, but despite their nine goals, they still lack an out-and-out striker, something which may come back to haunt them once the playoffs come around. Unless they get massively complacent, however, expect Lae to run out comfortable winners against Kutubu on home soil.
Eliud Fugre (left) has played a key role in Vitiaz’ successful midfield this season. Photo: PNGFA
The 1pm kick-offs and the main game at 3pm mainly concern the battle for fourth place – and the final playoff spot – in the league. After last week’s results, out-of-form Tusbab Stallions find their position in the playoffs massively under threat, and they will want to recover from a run of three games without a win against Star Mountain in Lae this weekend. Star Mountain have looked in decent form since the restart, having taken points off Vitiaz United three weeks ago, but they will be travelling to Lae for the game, which should swing the advantage in Stallions’ favour. Young Stallions will be looking to the Wadunah brothers once again to take control of the midfield, something which they should find a little easier against Star Mountain than they did against Fugre et al last week.
In Port Moresby, FC Bougainville and Morobe United, who are 8th and 9th in the table respectively, will both be looking for a result which takes them away from the bottom of the table. There is still time for either side to make a playoff push, but a win this week would be crucial to those hopes. Morobe United’s biggest problem is putting the ball in the back of the net: they have 14 goals in 13 games, the lowest in the league, and their top goalscorer, Emmanuel Simongi, isn’t even at the club anymore, having moved to FC Kutubu during the transfer window. No-one else in the side has more than two goals this season. On the other hand, Bougainville are in chaos after the departure of Percy Mataio – something which still remains shrouded in mystery – and looked dreadful last week against Lae City. Surely Morobe United won’t have a better chance for the rest of the season to get some goals on the board?
Gulf Komara’s Ilagi Geno scored a brace to see off Morobe United last week. Photo: PNGFA
In the 3pm kick-off, Gulf Komara host Morobe Wawens in a crucial playoff-chasing match. Komara, in 5th, and Wawens, in 6th, have both struggled with consistency this season, and both have managed far better results at home than when on the road. This would suggest that Komara will get the win due simply to home advantage, but the loss of skilful winger Donovan Murray and young star centre-back Carlos Onne to other teams has seen them struggle to get off the mark since the restart – last week’s win against Morobe United was their first since the resumption of play post-COVID lockdown. Wawens haven’t won a game away from home all season; now would be a good time to start, but a win for Komara, coupled with a defeat for Tusbab Stallions, will see the Gulf-based side move into 4th place in the table. Can last week’s hero Ilagi Geno score some more crucial goals for Komara?
Interesting matches are going to take place this weekend in Fiji as the national league is set to return after a three-week period. The current top-tabled side Rewa will have a difficult clash against Ba, while Suva and Labasa will be also a very interesting match to watch. To complete the matchweek, we will be Nadi taking on Navua and Nasinu playing against Lautoka.
The only match played on Saturday will be held at Fiji FA Academy in Ba; the Men in Black will have the tough challenge to beat the current top-tabled side Rewa. It is also important to state the Delta Tigers are now the current champions of the Battle of Giants, as they surpassed Suva two weeks ago at Churchill Park to celebrate a very important achievement. The likes of Samuela Drudru and Abbu Zahid will have the task to lead Ba at home against the strong Rewa team captained by Setareki Hughes, the best player of the recent Battle of Giants tournament.
Setareki Hughes is a great momemt – Fiji FA Media
Nadi impressed in BOG‘s group stage winning all their three games, but could not surpass Suva in the semi-final stage of the competition. Despite being at the mid of the table at the moment, the team coached by Kamal Swamy is coming in a high and tends to be favourites against the bottom ranked Navua at Prince Charles Park in Nadi. The captain Avinesh Suwamy scored three goals in the Battle of Giants and is currently Fiji’s top goalscorer of the year and might the player to watch from the Green Machine side, while Navua will be expecting the young Thomas Dunn to lead them to another win in the league – their latest match was a surprising 3-2 win over Nasinu that put Navua now only three points away to leave the relegation zone of the Vodafone Premier League.
In Ratu Cakobau Park, Nasinu will be taking on Lautoka. The Giant Killers might be missing their head coach Tagi Vonolagi as he was not training the team during the week, but Nasinu did a much better Battle of Giants campaign than Lautoka; the Sugar City Boys lost all their matches in the competition and just got one win under the guidance of their new head coach Ravinesh Kumar. Nasinu will be hoping the good moment of Jasnit Vikash and Marlon Nonone continues to help them to improve their rankings, while Lautoka will be happy to count for the first time in national league with the services of Malakai Rakula.
Also on Sunday, this time at the capital city, Suva will expect to bounce back from their Battle of Giants defeat in the final against the Babasiga Lions. Labasa dissapointed their supporters as they could not proceed to the semi-final stage of the Battle of Giants and their campaign in Vodafone Premier League is not being as good as the team planned for this season. Ronil Lal and his player will be expecting to grab a very important against Suva that is doing well so far in the national. Akeimi Ralulu will not be available for Labasa in this clash, but the Lions fans will expect to see Antonio Tuivuna and Siotame Kubuto step to guide them in this hard challenge. The Capital City Boys side coached by Babs Khan is in need to collect all points from this match to retake their 2nd place in the table – if the striker Christopher Wasasala is a in good day certainly it will make things easier for local side.
Suva will have a tough challenge against Labasa – Fiji FA Media
Football fans will be pleased to have the return of national league in action in Fiji expecting their districts can perform as planned. You can check the current standings, full results and the current top scorers of the season so far by visiting our session of the Vodafone Premier League.
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