Oceania Football Center

Vodafone Premier League: Nadi demolishes Ba in Prince Charles Park

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.

Nadi recovers in style from their 1-0 defeat against Labasa in the weekend, but Ba suffer another shocking defeat – the Men in Black were stunned by Nasinu on the last Saturday by 2-0. This was the second defeat of Ba in the tournament from five matches played so far.

Galaxy surpasses Erakor GS in penalty shootout to qualify for PVFA Independence Cup semi-finals

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.

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 take on Perth Glory expecting to recover from recent defeat

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.

The New Zealanders Tim 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.

Yatel qualifies for PVFA Independence Cup semi-final despite loss against Mauwia

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.

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.

Erakor GS and Galaxy to battle again for a spot in PVFA Independence Cup 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.

Avinesh Suwamy to meet Ba as Nadi tries to recover in Vodafone Premier League

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.

South Auckland Rangers remain unbeaten as Ivan Kumar scores a brace against Lynn-Avon

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.

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.

Darold Kakasi to continue in Ba

The Solomon Islands international Darold Kakasi is not going to move anymore to Rewa – as Oceania Football Center reported recently both parties interest to come to an agreement. The young player already featured in the last two Ba matches in Vodafone Premier League as starter – win over Lautoka by 2-1 and the defeat against Nasinu – and is repoted the player is not moving to Rewa.

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.

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.

Horizon Patho smashes JS Baco in New Caledonia’s Mobil Super Ligue

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The second round of football in the New Caledonia’s top-tier had its final match played last Saturday in Maré between Horizon Patho and JS Baco – team that just returned to the top-league after being promoted from second division.

Jean-Claude Jewine opened the scoreline for Horizon Patho through the penalty spot, Yohan Bearuné added another for the home side still in the first half. Cyril Wawia and Kenny Hnau scored the final goals of the clash giving Horizon Patho important points in the table.

Players of Horizon Patho (yellow) and JS Baco (red) united after the match

This was the first win of Horizon Patho in the season and the club now sits in the 7th position with 5 points. JS Baco will need to bounce back in the season if they want to keep in the Mobil Super Ligue next season as they lost both games so far in the competition by 4-0 and sits in the 8th position with 2 points.

You can see the full results and table of Mobil Super Ligue in New Caledonia by visiting the league’s page in our website.

Solomon Islands: Joel Konofilia three-year ban is over

Former Solomon Islands National Football Team’s player Joel Konofilia is finally cleared to run football activities linked to Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) as his three-year ban finished earlier this month.

The ban was for an assault incident in the Solomon Cup 2017 when Joel was coaching the Renbel Chiefs against Western Turtles on Saturday 16 June 2017. It was alleged that at the 73rd minute of the Match (second half), Joel was sent off from the technical area by the match referee for his continuous and persistent protests against match referee’s decisions during the match.

At the end of the match, the match officials including the match referee were retiring to their Dressing Room when Joel came out and approached them in front of the entrance leading into the dressing room. Joel allegedly gestured and pretended to shake the match referee’s hand. Instead, and instantly he landed a closed left fist on the match referee’s right cheek below his ear.

The three-year ban officially ended on July 3 which means that he is allowed to be part of football activities that have any kind of link with SIFF. Joel – also known as Puia – is currently well known in the country for running Royals Academy – a football academy that recently took many young players from Solomon Islands to study and train in England.