The Fijian international Iosefo Verevou is cleared to play the next match for Suva agianst Nadi this weekend. The information was confirmed by Suva FA social media accounts. The attacker will be a valuable addition for Suva as the team lacked creativity in the final third in their most recent match against Rewa at ANZ Stadium last Sunday.
Iosefo Verevou – FFA Media
Verevou is fully recovered from an injury that did not allow him to take part in Suva clash against Rewa. It is also known Suva will also count on Jonetani Buksh that served suspension in the last match and Kelvin Naidu that had this ban lifted by Fiji FA. The only player not available for the coach Maxwell Thaggard is the Nigerian striker Jibola Afonja.
At Bankwest Stadium, Glory met Phoenix in the second game of both sides since the return from COVID-19 break. A different Perth Glory than usual, fielding the 16-year-old attacker Gabriel Popovic, made it hard for Wellington Phoenix to grab a very important win. The team coached by Ufuk Talay seemed dangerous since the start of the match – the Mexican star Ulises Davila started from the bench, but the English marksman Gary Hooper partnered upfront with his compatriot David Ball. Cameron Devlin made his return to the starting eleven in the midfield playing alongisde Matti Steinmann – the surprise of the night in the starting eleven was the New Zealand international Callum McCowatt that started in the right flank.
Phoenix did not have the possession of the ball in the early stages of the match, but Glory could not create any harm despite having the ball. Some runs of Reno Piscopo and Liberato Cacace posed some threats for the defensive system of the coach Tony Popovic, but the scoreline would just be opened when McCowatt assisted Gary Hooper – a fantastic long range pass that found Hooper coming from the defensive half of the pitch, upfront the back three of Perth Glory. The striker made no mistake in front of the goalkeeper Liam Reddy to put Phoenix up by 1-0.
Glory pressed for a fast equalizer, but could not create real goalscoring chances. The Uruguyan striker Bruno Fornaroli made Stefan Marinovic to make a couple of hard stops still in the first half, but nothing the Kiwi number one goalkeeper could deal not with.
Callum McCowatt (center in yellow) made a terrific match for Phoenix
The 1-0 lead was the scoreline for Phoenix in the break, but it changed just after the return of both sides for the game: David Ball in a brilliant move was fouled down inside the box – a penalty kick was awarded for the New Zealand club. The newly introduced Davila made no mistake from the penalty spot to score his 12th goal of the season and the second of the Nix in the match.
A much better Ulises Davila than in the latest match against Sydney posed a lot of threats for defensive line led by Alex Grant. Phoenix created a number of chances after scoring their second goal – Ball sent a terrific finish above the bar, Davila and Ball almost combined inside the box for a third goal, while a Cacace’s cross could not find the target inside the area.
The story of the game changed when Nicolas D’Agostino received a short-corner pass and found the New Zealand international Dane Ingham free to fire away a fantastic shot – the ball was lightly deflected in Libby Cacaces’s right leg, finding the tight right corner of Stefan Marinovic’s goal; Perth was back to the game.
Minutes after scoring, a mistake by Devlin allowed a quick counter-attack of Glory – Fornaroli tried his trademark shot lobbying Marinovic, but unfortunately for him the ball went in the arms of the New Zealand international shot-stopper. Talay tried to change the things introducing Jaushua Sotirio in place of Reno Piscopo, but the speedy attacker could not have any counter-attacking chance to approach.
In the 83th minute, Phoenix tactician decided to ‘park the bus’ introducing the New Zealand defender Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi in place of Callum McCowatt. The strategy proved right as Hudson-Wihongi cleared a number of balsl from the penalty box, helping Phoenix to clinch very important three points in the A-League table.
A much better presentation for Phoenix in comparison to their latest match against Sydney – especially in defense – allowed the New Zealanders to get closer to Melbourne City in the ladder. The club is just one-point away from City in the standings; the Nix still has one match to be played in comparison with the Melbourne-based side.
Phoenix next challenge will be against Adeilade United this Saturday at the same Bankwest Stadium at 5pm local time.
The encounter of Avinesh Suwamy with his former club was glorious for him and a nightmare for the district he used to defend. Nadi could not count on the star Rusiate Matarerega and Jeshal Kumar injured, but Ba missed many other important players in their squad: Ilimotama Jese, Misiwani Nairube, Malakai Tiwa and Saula Waqa could not play this match against Nadi. Ba line up had many youngsters, such as goalkeeper Isikeli Sevanaia and the midfielder Peceli Sukabula. Manasa Nawakula weared the captain armband while Samuela Drudru was the most known player in attack for the Men in Black.
If Nawakula captained Ba, for Nadi side Avinesh Suwamy was the captain. In the 31th minute of play, Nadi took up advantage:Afraz Ali with a powerful longe range surpassed Sevanaia to give the Jetsetters the lead at Prince Charles Park. Six minutes later, a corner well placed by Suwamy found the head of Sakaraia Naisua to double the lead for Nadi.
Nadi could maintain their 2-0 lead to the first half; the second period of the game started promising for ba as Manasa Nawakula did not make any mistake from the penalty spot to cut the deficit for Ba. But then the nightmare restarted for Men in Black: three minutes later of Nawakula’s goal, Sakaraia Naisua dribbled Isikeli Sevanaia and sloted the ball home to an empty net to score his second in the clash and the third of the Green Machine.
Nadi vs Ba before the clash – FFA Media
Again, one minute later of Naisua goal, Napolioni Qasevakatini scored the fourth for Nadi. Two goals in two minutes for Nadi – proving the fragility of Ba’s defensive system. To get things even worse for the visitors, Jonetani Newa received a second yellow card in the clash and he was sent off in the 72th minute of play.
The final goal of the match was scored seven minutes later: the recent signing Navneel Nand scored his first goal for Nadi and the fifth of the encounter. The final score proved to be a hummiliation for Ba: 5-1.
Galaxy and Erakor clash to decide each team would proceed to the semi-finals of PVFA Independence Cup needed a penalty shootout to have a winner. A thrilling match certainly entertained the local fans at Port Vila Municial Stadium.
In the first half, Kaltfer Kaltack opened the scoreline for Erakor Golden Star. The slight advantage for EGS was held until the half time, but in the early stages of the second period the Brazilian attacking midfielder Roberson scored Galaxy equalizer in the clash.
Galaxy FC lineup – EGS Media
The 1-1 was the final result of the match; as both teams were tied in the standings of Group A – a rare complete tie happened between both sides, in points, goal difference and goals scored and suffered – a penalty shootout was required to decide each side would join Ifira Black Bird coming from Group A to the semi-finals of 2020 PVFA Independence Cup.
Unfortunately for Erakor Golden Star, Gershom Kalsong was the only player to lose a penalty. The final outcome of the penalty shootout gave to Galaxy a hard 5-3 win and a spot in the semi-final.
EGS and Galaxy clashes were very tied – a first match between both sides on Saturday ended up in a 0-0 draw. As on Saturday the match was the last one in the day, the game could not continue as night was coming and currently there are not lights in Port Vila Municipal Stadium. A new match was schedule for this Wednesday to decide the 2nd team from Group A to proceed to the semi-finals of the traditional tournament.
Galaxy joined Ifira Black Bird to qualify for the knock-out stage; from the Group B, Tafea topped the group while Yatel clinched the second spot. It is expected the semi-finals will take place this Saturday (25th Jul) in Port Vila.
Wellington Phoenix did not have a good return to competitive football last week, when they suffered a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat against Sydney FC. The only New Zealand’s full-professional club – and of entire OFC – expects a much better performance today when they take on Perth Glory at Bankwest Stadium, 9:30pm NZT.
Glory won their most recent match against Central Coast Mariners thanks to a goal of New Zealand international Dane Ingham, while the Nix could not hold they 1-0 lead against Sydney and ended up suffering a 3-1 defeat full of defensive mistakes from the team coached by Ufuk Talay.
Wellington Phoenix Media
The New ZealandersTim Payne and Oli Sail continue out of Phoenix squad; they were suspended for four matches after breaking quarentine in Phoenix camp in Australia and will be out of the clasg against Glory and the next two matches against Adeilaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers.
The good news for the Yellow Fever is that the good performer Cameron Devlin is back from suspension and will be available for Ufuk Talay. Devlin is expected to start the match in place of Alex Rufer.
After the worst match so far for Ulises Dávila as Wellington Phoenix player, it is also expected the Mexican can start the match alongside the English marquee striker Gary Hooper. Ben Waine and Jaushua Sotirio started the match instead of the usual duo in the latest clash against Sydney.
Phoenix will not need to worry to stop the Spanish playmaker Diego Castro; the veteran player decided not to play for Glory regarding concerns on COVID-19 infection. Despite Castro’s absence, the Uruguyan marksman Bruno Fornaroli will be there and he might be the top priority for Steven Taylor and Luke DeVere to deal with.
A defeat could be terrible for Phoenix aspirations in the league: the club is placed 3rd in the ladder, while Glory is 5th. A win for the Perth side would put them ahead of Phoenix in the table – sending the Nix for the 4th place.
The PVFA Independence Cup held in Vanuatu’s capital got to know the second team of Group B of the tournament to proceed to the semi-final. Yatel surpassed Mauwia and Tupuji Imere in the goal difference and granted a spot in the decisive part of the competition.
In the Group B, Tafea topped the group with 9 points – winning all its matches – while Yatel and Mauwia had still a match to played to decide which side would qualify for the next stage – that was played this Tuesday. Mauwia knew they would have a hard job if they wanted to qualify for the semi-final: beat Yatel by at least 4 goals difference.
Yatel vs Mauwia clash – Vanuatu Sport
The result of the match was in favour of Mauwia, 1-0, but not the result the team in red needed to proceed. The club raised by Malampa region citizens, Yatel, is qualified for the semi-final where they will play Galaxy FC or Erakor Golden Star in one of the semi-finals.
Galaxy and Erakor Golden star are going to clash in a exciting match that is going to decide the fourth and last qualified team for 2020 PVFA Independence Cup semi-finals in Vanuatu.
Both teams have already clashed on Saturday in the last round of the group stage and the final score was a 0-0 draw. However a new match needed to be contest to decide which team will advance to the semi-finals because Erakor and Galaxy finished the group stage tied in the second position as you can see in the picture below:
Ifira Black Bird qualified in the first position while Galaxy and Erakor are tied in the second position
According to reliable sources it was announced that an extra-time would be played after the Saturday’s clash but it was not possible due to lack of light. This rematch will decide which team will finish the Group A in the second position to advance to the next stage.
Galaxy and Erakor Golden Star clashing on Saturday – Vanuatu Sports News
Ifira Black Bird, Tafea and Yatel are the three other teams that advanced to the semi-finals. You can check results, standings and top scorers of 2020 PVFA Independence Cup by clicking here.
After losing their respective matches on the weekend, Ba and Nadi are ready to clash at Prince Charles Park aiming the three points in order to climb some positions in the ladder.
Currently in the seventh position, Nadi will have the tough mission to face current league champions Ba. The Green Machine are trying to recover in the league after a 1-0 loss against Labasa at Subrail Park – “In this ground, we cannot say much because the ground was very hard, very bumpy but we need to improve. We cannot blame the ground, we need to improve on all surfaces so we can play well,” said Nadi’s head coach Kamal Swamy.
It is also known that Nadi’s talented player Jeshal Kumar did not play the match against Labasa due to a knee’s injury. However there are no reports if he is going to play against Ba or not.
This match is going to be something special for Nadi’s midfielder Avinesh Suwamy as he is going to meet his former team Ba for the first time after leaving the Men in Black earlier this year. Suwamy is a legend of the Men in Black as he played there for fifteen years and helped Ba to win dozens of titles.
Nadi (left) and Ba (right) are ready for the battle – FIji FA Media
On the other hand Ba will try to win this match to get closer to the top. The Men in Black are currently in the third position with nine points – four points behind current league leaders Rewa. However it is known that some important players like Ilimotama Jese and Saula Waqa are going to miss this important match once Jese has two yellow cards to his name and Waqa is out for two matches after getting a direct red card during the game against Nasinu last week.
Both teams are not happy with playing in the midweek after having difficult matches on the weekend – “We travelled to Labasa and then we came back from there and then we are training two days travelling is another hectic thing,” said Kamal Swamy to FBC News. Ba’s Team Manager Ranbeer Singh is also upset about it – “We play a match and there are only two days rest one day after the match is just for recovery and then we are up for the next match so we did our injury assessment and most of our senior players are carrying an injury but they have to play,” he revealed to FBC News.
The clash between the Green Machine and the Men in Black is scheduled to kick-off at 6pm (local time). You can check the current Vodafone Premier League standings by clicking here.
Ivan Kumar continues to prove himself in New Zealand as he helped his club South Auckland Rangers to overcome Lynn-Avon by 5-1 in the latest weekend. The result keeps Rangers with their unbeaten run in the season and also at the top of the table.
Kumar scored one of the fastest goals of the season, finding the nets just with 45 seconds of the match. The fullback would also score another in the 90th minute of play. Prashil Kumar brace and Alvin Avinesh goal were the other scores of Rangers as Lynn-Avon consolation goal was scored by Robert Robinson.
South Auckland Rangers squad
Kumar is the joint top-scorer of the league with five goals so far – two other players of South Auckland Rangers are also alongside him the top of goalscorers table. Rangers is at the top of the table with 13 points, three points clear to the second-placed side West Auckland.
Despite both parties interest, Kakasi confirmed to Oceania Football Center he is going to reman in Ba’s squad and available for the coach Ronil Kumar. Recently, former Kakasi’s teammate Micah Tommy stated his dissatisfaction on Ba’s management and the treatment he received during this time in Fiji. The player is already back to Vanuatu; he is playing the PVFA Independence Cup for Tafea – a festive tournament on Vanuatu’s independence – and is also in talks with Ba to release his ITC. In his statement, Tommy also mentioned Kakasi as a player not satisfied with some happenings under Ba’s management.
Darold Kakasi – OFC Media
It is know Rewa was ready to pay a transfer fee for Kakasi release, but Ba blocked the negotiations showing their interest to keep the player. Ba lost many players during the recent transfer window period and losing another start in Ronil Kumar’s team could be a huge blow for Ba’s expectations in the season.
