Rewa beat Ba in a thrilling match to reach Battle of the Giants’ final

Ba and Rewa starred a wonderful match on this Saturday at Churchill Park in Lautoka in the 2020 Battle of the Giants’ semi-finals. Rewa were the favourites to win but it does not mean that it was an easy match for them.

Rising star Josaia Sela opened the scoreboard for Rewa in the 34th minute but sustained a serious leg injury in the process and was stretchered off the field. Setareki Hughes extended the lead for the Delta Tigers eight minutes later with a shot from the left to take the 2-0 lead to the second half.

Ba fought hard and Narendra Rao found the net in the 69th minute after a nice play by Abbu Zahid to bring the goal difference to one. The Men in Black kept working hard inside the pitch but things are not going well until the stoppage time when Abbu Zahid headed the ball into the net in the 92nd minute to take the match to the extra-time. You can check all four goals scored in the regular time by clicking here.

Rewa players celebrating Setareki Hughes’ goal – Fiji FA Media

In the extra-time Ba were reduced to ten players as Manasa Nawakula saw the red card but the Men in Black managed to keep themselves alive in the contest and the spot in the tournament’s final was decided in the penalties and Rewa had better luck as they won by 8-7 in the shootout to book a spot in the final.

Rewa will fight for their ninth Battle of the Giants’ title tomorrow against Nadi or Suva. You can check more information about the tournament by clicking here.

‘Match of the Season’ atmosphere in Port Moresby as Hekari faces Lae City

The most important football match of the season in Papua New Guinea is set to take place in Port Moresby as the top-teams Lae City and Hekari United play at PNG Football Stadium. Lae City comes from a very strong win against Gulf Komara by 5-0 while Hekari also won, but for 2-0 against Boungainville in both sides last matches in the national league.

Lae City counts on the quality of players such as Jacob Sabua and Emmanuel Simon, but now they will have to worry with two former Lae City players that joined Hekari United: Raymond Gunemba and Nigel Dabinyaba – both players were in doubts to play this weekend, but they were finally cleared to play for Hekari United after a dispute about their transfer to their new team.

Gunemba and Dabinyaba of Hekari – Sabua and Simon of Lae City

PNG National Soccer League has three teams tied at the top of the table: Lae City and Hekari are two of them alongside Vitiaz United – a situation that adds even more importance for this clash.

Gunemba and Dabinyaba will be looking for revenge against their former team as they said, recently, they were hummiliated by their treatment after leaving the club. But, certainly, the strong defense of Lae now led by Alwin Komolong will not make their life easy in this very important match.

The match is set to be livestreamed by PNGFA Facebook Page to start at 3pm local time.

Javin Wae confirmed in Central Coast’s squad to face Real Kakamora in Telekom S-League

One of the most important players from Central Coast FC, rising star Javin Wae is confirmed in the squadlist for today’s match against Real Kakamora after getting injured in the opening matchweek of 2020 Telekom S-League.

Javin was in Central’s starting eleven n the 1-0 win against Malaita Kingz but he was forced to leave the pitch in the 74th minute due to an ankle injury. It is not known if he is going to be in the starting eleven today but the 18-year-old defender is available to play if the head coach wants to count on him.

Javin Wae (right) got injured last week – S-League Media

The clash between Central Coast FC and Real Kakamora is scheduled to kick-off in a few hours at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara – the capital of Solomon Islands. This match is going to be livestreamed by S-League on their Facebook page.

Ba seek for glory amid problems in Battle of the Giants

Current Vodafone Premier League champions, Ba have the chance to lift another trophy this weekend. However the Men in Black must deal with adversities if they really want to be crowned as 2020 Battle of the Giants’ champions.

Despite having experienced players like Abbu Zahid, Manasa Nawaqula, Sanaila Waqanicakau and Samuela Drudru, the team coached by Ronil Kumar has also many young players that are not so used to knockout stage’s matches like Isikeli Sevanaia, Mitieli Naiviro and Sumeet Goundar which may become a problem for Men in Black that must deal with the absence of Misiwani Nairube (injured) and Saula Waqa (banned).

It has been a few months since Ba started to face problems as many players left the club after a shameful campaing in 2020 OFC Champions League group stage.

Ba’s starting eleven against Suva in Battle of the Giants’ group stage – Fiji FA Media

Ronil Kumar and his players have a tough challenge: beating Rewa that count on very good head coach Marika Rodu who knows how to deal with Delta Tigers’ strong and experienced squad. Anyway the Men in Black are completely able to beat Rewa to show why they are the biggest winners of the tournament.

Both teams will come to the pitch in a few hours at Churchill Park in Lautoka. You can check more information about the tournament by clicking here.

New Caledonia: Derby of the Islands to finish the fourth round of Mobil Super Ligue

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The fourth round of 2020 Mobil Super Ligue reaches its end this weekend when Horizon Patho will face SC Ne Drehu at Stade La Roche in Maré Island. This clash is known as the Derby of the Islands as both teams are not from New Caledonia’s major island.

The reason for the Derby’s name is clear: Horizon Patho is from Maré Island while SC Ne Drehu is from Lifou Island – that is also known as Drehu in a local language – which means that both teams are not from Grande Terre: the major island from New Caledonia.

Horizon Patho and SC Ne Drehu will clash at Stade La Roche – Mobil Super Ligue Media

Horizon Patho need to recover in the tournament after a terrible draw against AS Mont-Dore two weeks ago while SC Ne Drehu want to win another match to get closer to the leaders.

Oceania Football Center wish good luck to both teams. You can check the current standings of the Mobil Super Ligue by clicking here.

Fiji: are you ready for Battle of Giants semi-finals?

One of the most traditional football tournament of Fiji is set for its decisive weekend; the venue is Churchill Park in Lautoka – the four contesters: Ba, Nadi, Rewa and Suva. The four teams will be looking for the major glory on Sunday, but before they will have the semi-final stage this Saturday (15th Aug) to seal a spot in the grand final.

The first match of the day will see the Delta Tigers taking on the Men in Black; the team coached by Marika Rodu is looking for pride as the midfielder Gabriele Matanisiga stated in interview to Oceania Football Center. Rewa, that is focused on winning the Vodafone Premier League this season, will certainly come as strong as possible to seal a spot in the grand final, counting on players of the caliber of Setareki Hughes and Kavaia Rawaqa.

The Men in Black will finally count on important defender Manasa Nawakula for this clash as the player wa absent in the group stage in the previous weekend. Top-player Saula Waqa was suspended for three years after testing positive for prohibited substance and will be missing the next matches of Ba as the team appealed against his suspension expecting to count on him as soon as possible. Despite Waqa’s absence, the always important Samuela Drudru willbe there to guide Ba’s attack against a well-structured defense led by Peniame Drova.

Samuela Drudru and Setareki Hughes will lead their teams in BOG’s semi-final

The second match of the day will see Avinesh Suwamy‘s captained side Nadi against the stellar squad of Suva. The team coached by Babs Khan will be missing the young Solomon Islander Patrick Taroga while important players such as Christopher Wasasala and Nickel Chand are still in doubts for the game due minor injuries sustained in group stage last weekend. The decision is set to be taken moments before the match – it is upon Suva’s medical staff if the players will be available or not. While Suva is worried possible absences, defender Laisenia Raura is expected to led the defensive system of the team, while captain Ravnesh Karan Singh will led the troops upfront in one of the team’s most important match of the season.

Nadi is still also waiting the decision on attackers Napolioni Qasevakatini and Rusiate Matarerega; both players are also injured, but Nadi’s staff is expecting they will be recovered in time to take any impact in today’s match against Suva. The top scorer of the tournament so far is the legendary Avinesh Suwamy, that on interview to Oceania Football Center stated that Nadi is ready for the clash and expects a major win for his side.

Avinesh Suwamy and Ravnesh Karan Singh will captain their sides in BOG’s semi-finals

The first match of the day between Ba and Rewa will kick-off at the 2pm while the second semi-final will start at 4pm in Lautoka. All teams will have another match tomorrow as Battle of Giants also has a 3rd/4th playoff contest between the losing sides of the semi-final stage.

Telekom: S-League Laugu and Eels ready to clash as Kossa and Central Coast aim the top

After an exciting opening week, the 2020 Telekom S-League reaches its second matchweek as five games will be contested from Saturday to Wednesday at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara – the capital of Solomon Islands.

The first match of the weekend will be contested between Laugu United and Henderson Eels. Both teams thrashed their opponents in the opening round and now they are going to fight for another win to remain unbeaten in the league. While Henderson Eels will count on a powerful squad led by youngster Raphael Lea’i, Laugu United can rely on the talent of some top players like Atkin Kaua and Gagame Feni. The bad news for Laugu is that Matson Feni will miss the match after being red carded in the opening match against Real Kakamora.

Central Coast and Real Kakamora are the other teams that are coming to the pitch on this Saturday. While Real Kakamora are trying to recover from a heavy loss against Henderson Eels, newcomers Central Coast count on young players like Javin Wae, Philip Ropa, Densly Geseni and Junior Fordney to win again in order to remain unbeaten in the tournament.

Lea’i, Limoki, Fordney and Feni – four players that shone in Telekom S-League’s opening round

Two other matches are going to take place on Sunday. After losing in the opening round, Southern United and Malaita Kingz need to win and both teams will play all-out in an interesting clash. Despite the loss, newcomers Southern United performed in a good level against Kossa FC while Malaita Kingz had a poor game against Central Coast.

Another team that will play on Sunday is Kossa that have beaten Southern United by 3-2 in the last matchweek with two goals scored by youngster Barrie Limoki. The team coached by Fred Osifelo is going to have an interesting clash against debutants Honiara City that are looking for their first win in the league’s history.

The fifth and last match of this round will be contested by current league champions Solomon Warriors and Marist FC. After resting in the opening matchweek due to a bye week, Warriors rely on a strong squad led by Vanuatu international John Alick to beat the young Marist squad whose captain is defender John Aeta.

Isabel United will not play in this matchweek as they are having a bye week. All five matches will be livestreamed by S-League on their official page on Facebook. You can check the current standings of the season by clicking here.

Midland Football League: an amazing football project from Solomon Islands

The benefit that sport provides to society is almost incalculable. Social inclusion and the countless benefits that physical activities bring to human health are some items that make sport an important role in society.

At a time when violence has become commonplace in society in general, sport plays an important role in social inclusion. By taking children and adolescents off the streets, he helps prevent and combat drugs and violence, contributing to the promotion of public security.

The transformative power of sport has led several companies to adopt it as a way to improve the performance and health of employees, as it has been scientifically proven that physical activities develop self-esteem and, consequently, work performance.

In addition to social inclusion, sport provides numerous benefits to human health. Acting in the prevention of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and several other diseases, the sport gains space and interest in medicine.

Having all these points in mind, the Midland Football League (Solomon Islands) was created in 2014 with two main goals: promoting football in Auki – the biggest city in Malaita Province – and reducing the incidence of negative behavior in local youth. The current season is being contested by thirteen teams from the region.

Midland Football League’s logo

Despite the good intentions, the project still face some problems like the lack of sponsorship. According to Midland Football League’s (MFL) president Paul Kabolo there top teams will be awarded with prizes, but they still need the help of local companies and business houses to award all prizes. You can see an official letter from MFL board asking for sponsorship by clicking here.

Oceania Football Center congratulates Paul Kabolo and all MFL’s board for the initiative we look forward to keep up with the next steps of this local football league from Solomon Islands.

Suva in trouble for Battle of the Giants’ clash against Nadi

After a bad start in the Battle of the Giants, Suva still managed to advance to the semi-finals. However the Capital City Boys have to deal with problems for the semi-finals’ clash against Nadi as many players are injured.

According to Suva’s president Ritesh Pratap, midfielder Patrick Taroga got injured against Nasinu and he will miss today’s match. It was also reported that Christopher Wasasala, Iosefo Verevou, Meli Codro, Nickel Chand and Simione Nabenu are injured as well but these players are expected to be available to face Nadi.

The Capital City Boys have to deal with some injuries against Nadi – Fiji FA Media

Despite all problems, Suva’s management are confident that the team can have a good performance: “For us officials, we have done our part and it is up to the players now on how they will be performing so looking at the player’s body shape and their attitude towards the game, I think definitely we are there,” said Pratap.

The clash between Suva and Nadi is scheduled to kick-off at 4pm at Churchill Park in Lautoka. You can check more information about 2020 Battle of the Giants by clicking here.

Darold Kakasi eager to stop Rewa and take Ba to Battle of the Giants’ final

Current Vodafone Premier League champions, Ba have the chance to win another tournament this weekend: the 2020 Battle of the Giants. However the Men in Black have to beat Rewa in the semi-finals if they want to reach the final contest against Nadi or Suva.

The team coached by Ronil Kumar finished the group stage in the first position of the Group A with four points in three matches and now they need to perform in a better level to reach the final: “It is going to be a very hard match because we will face a good team. Our coach has been working on strategies to stop Rewa during the training sessions,” said Ba’s winger Darold Kakasi.

Kakasi playing for Ba in 2020 Battle of the Giants – Fiji FA Media

Kakasi is a regular starter in the team as he was in Ba’s starting eleven in all Battle of the Giants’ matches so far. The 21-year-old player from Solomon Islands also scored one goal in a 7-3 win over Nasinu in the opening day of the tournament, but he knows that football is a team sport “We need to stay together and play as a unity during the whole match if we want to win,” he pointed

It is already known that 17-year-old goalkeeper Isikeli Sevanaia will be in Ba’s starting eleven as Misiwani Nairube remains injured while forward Saula Waqa was suspended for three years after being caught in a drug test. The clash between Ba and Rewa is scheduled to kick-off at 2pm at Churchill Park in Lautoka.