Thrilling match sees AS Magenta beat Tiare Tahiti to proceed to knock-out stage

The Tahitians of Tiare Tahiti tried hard to impose a defeat to New Caledonian powerhouse AS Magenta, but the green and white side could not resist the pressure of the talented attack led by Kevin Nemia. The brace of Manarii Porlier was not enough for the brave Tahitians to keep their dream alive in their first participation at OFC Champions League.

Magenta took control of the match since its start, but Tiare Tahiti was always very dangerous in the counter-attack with the Benin youth international Bio Odo Chabi. The bad news for the Tahitian side came when the young Odo Chabi sustained a muscle injury and could not keep in the match; in his place the Tahitian international Manarii Porlier was introduced – and he would have a fantastic match.

Already inside the 20th minute mark, Junior Tiaoao gets ball in the flank and finds Porlier inside the box, the attacker slides fast and touches the ball to the nets of Nicodem Hmaen to open the scoreline in favour of the Tahitian side.

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Porlier celebrates his goal – OFC Media

Porlier and Tevairoa Tehuritaua would continue to disturb the defensive system of AS Magenta. Tevairoa Tehuritaua had one great shot saved by Hmaen and clear chance in front of the keeper, but saved in the goalline by Damien Wanapopo.

The dangerous attacks of Tiare Tahiti and their good defense so far in the match, seemed to be enough to make them have a narrow advantage at the break; but in the final moments, a lapse of concentration in the back allowed the through ball of Fonzy Ranchain to find Kevin Nemia that with a strong finish leveled the score just before the half time.

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Nemia equalizes for the home side – OFC Media

The second half with Magenta battling for the second goal, but they would not imagine it would come so early and through an opponent player: Kevin Nemia crossed a ball after a free-kick in the box, the AS Tiare Tahiti defender Rico Haring headed it back to his goal, the goalkeeper Michel Manea could not reach in time and the ball went to his nets. Magenta upfront.

The match could have been done and dusted for Magenta, but Tevairoa Tehuritaua entered the box and was brought down by Damien Wanapopo. The New Zealand referee Mathew Conger pointed to the spot in sealed a penalty kick for the visitors. Unfortunately for Tiare Tahiti, Tevaihau Tehuritaua missed the chance sending the ball over the bar.

But there was still more to come: just one minute later the missed penalty, Ricky Mou received a good ball in the right flank; he delivered a quality assist for the super-sub Manarii Porlier to score his second in the clash, to seal a 2-2 in the scoreboard.

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A great individual performance by Manarii Porlier – OFC Media

Magenta knew they needed a win: they urged their forwards upfront and started to pressure the Tahitian defense. Kevin Nemia and Nathanael Hmaen had goalscoring chances, but both of them went wasted. The decisive goal of the encounter only came at the 87th minute of play, when Jean-Christ Wajoka found Kevin Nevia free in the box, the attacker head the ball to the nets to give the win to AS Magenta.

The final result could have different than 3-2: in the final moments of the clash, AS Tiare Tahiti had a series of corner-kicks and wasted chances. The first one was a direct attempt by Tevaihau Tehuritaua and it was saved by Nicodem Hmaen, the second attempt was the closest one as Manarii Porlier could have scored his hattrick, but his header hit the bar and was clared by the New Caledonian defense. AS Tiare Tahiti had another clear opportunity in the following corner, a defensive mistake allowed the ball to be headed towards the goal, but it was saved by Damien Wanapopo once again just on the goalline.

Magenta could deal with the pressure and collect the much-needed three points from the clash, a hard fought win enough to make them proceed to the next stage of the regional tournament alongside the Solomon Islands champions Solomon Warriors.

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Kevin Nemia makes AS Magenta go ahead – OFC Media

As the Cook Islands side Tupapa Maraerenga withdrew from the tournament and the Tiare Tahiti lost their two matches in the process, both Solomon Warriors and AS Magenta are qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament. Both sides will met in the final matchday of the group C to decide which team will top the group and play at home their quarterfinal match.

Ba needs to find their way against Lupe o le Soaga

The only remaining Fijian team at OFC Champions League surely did not have the start they want in the tournament. The current Vodafone Premier League champions Ba were trashed by the New Zealand-side Auckland City by 6-0 in their opener in Tahiti for the group D of the regional tournament.

With only 16 players available for the debut, the coach Ricki Herbert was forced to make several changes in the team, including to use the attacker Darold Kakasi as a right back. From the 11 players that started the match, six were naturally forwards. Beniamino Mateinaqara – that recently recoverd from injury – would cause a huge blow for the team if he had any injury in the match, as Ba did not have a reserve goalkeeper in the bench.

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Ba training before the clash against Lupe o le Soaga – OFC Media

The Fijians will need to win and win big against Lupe o le Soaga if they want to go for the final matchday against AS Vénus with clear chances to proceed to the next stage. The Samoans were also thrashed by 6-0 by the home side – the same margin of goals suffered by Ba – and theoretically they can not impose any real threat to the Fijian champions.

One of the most important signigs of Ba for the competition, Alwin Komolong, could not make his debut against Auckland City; the reasons are still not clear, as neither the club and player decided to talk about the situation. The Papua New Guinean international might be available for Ricki Herbert in the following match, as he was seem during the trainings for the upcoming clash.

Ba will need to find their way against Lupe o le Soaga, they will need to be focused and play hard against the Samoan side, always looking to move forward, moving constantly to make the Samoan defense – that proved to be fragile against AS Vénus – open up the gaps for players as Benjamin Totori and Micah Tommy to capitalize.

AS Magenta debuts in a do-or-die match for newcomers Tiare Tahiti

Due the withdrawal of Tupapa Maraerenga from the group stage of OFC Champions League, the current runners-up of the tournament AS Magenta is the only club that is still to debut in the competition after the first matchday of all groups in the process.

The first group C match result in Stade Numa Daly gives Magenta a clear picture of what they need to proceed to the next stage of the competition: a simple win over the Tahitian side of AS Tiare Tahiti in front of their home crowd. The team coached by Alain Moizan knows exactly what they need to do, but the Tahitians are still alive in the tournament.

Despite suffering a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Solomon Warriors in a very close match where any of the two sides could come up with a win, Tiare Tahiti knows that a defeat against the hosts will end their first participation in a OFC Champions League. A draw is enough to maintain the hopes alive, but still they would support for a two-goal win margin of Solomon Warriors against AS Magenta in the final group match. Mathematically, a win is also not enough to guarantee a spot in the knock-out stage for the Tahitians – they will depend on the result of the final matchday in any possibilities.

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Team captain Tevaihau Tehuritaua will expect a better result for Tiare Tahiti – OFC Media

Magenta will need to watch closely the wingers Tevairoa Tehuritaua and Bio Odo Chabi if they want to confirm their favouritism in front of their supports in Nouméa; but the Tahitians will certainly have a lot of trouble with the talented attack of the New Caledonians.

The likes of Kevin Nemia, Shene Welepane, Nathanael Hmaen and Fonzy Ranchain will be real threat for the Tahitian side. Instead of Ranchain, all others players mentioned helped AS Magenta to reach the grand final match against their countrymen of Hienghène Sport in the 2019 edition of the OFC Champions League. The New Caledonians smashed the Tahitian AS Central Sport in the process, as well beating Auckland City by 2-1 in the semifinal to reach the final stage of the tournament.

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Kevin Nemia scored in the 2-1 win over Auckland City – OFC Media

AS Tiare Tahiti know they will have may hurdles to overcome to beat AS Magenta – but this is the perfect time to prove why they qualified for the regional tournament and why they are playing against the team of this caliber.

The New Caledonians have huge expectations on their shoulders; an improved side from 2019 is expected to do even better than in the previous edition of the most important club football tournament of the region: to win the Champions League.

Solomon Islands set to announce new staff soon

Solomon Islands Football Federation is set to announce soon their new staff heading for the OFC Nations Cup this June to be hosted by New Zealand. Recently, the football body announced a 30-men provisional squad to start trainings at Lawson Tama Stadium – being the sessions controled by U17 national team coach Stanley Waita and Henderson Eels’ Eddie Marahare while the new staff is not announce by SIFF.

Solomon Islands sanctioned by FIFA | Loop PNG
OFC

Solomon Islands national team is scheduled to play two international frindlies this March at Tri-Nations – a friendly tournament organized by Fiji – where the Bonitos will face the hosts and Tahiti national team.

The scheduled final date by SIFF to receive applications for several positions to compose its staff including the head coach spot is this Wednesday (04th March) – which means the term has expired and the Solomon Islands FA is now analyzing all profiles received.

It is known the governing football body wants a foreign coach to guide the national team in the OFC Nations Cup, being the friendly matches in Fiji this month the first commitments of the new coach and his staff. While the process is not finished, Waita and Marahare prepares the team at Lawson Tama Stadium, despite not couting on various players – Solomon Warriors is in New Caledonia playing the group C of OFC Champions League and players as Atkin Kaua, Raphael Lea’i, Gagame Feni and Leon Kofana are currently abroad. You can see full squadlist by clicking here.

AS Vénus will count on home crowd against Auckland as Stade de Mahina is cleared for second matchday

The second matchday of OFC Champions League group D will have a new venue – the expected venue before the start of the tournament. Stade de Mahina is cleared for the rest of the competition after heavy rains made the pitch unplayable for the first two matches of the pool.

The both 6-0 matches were played at Stade Pater, Pirae – something about 10km away from Mahina, where AS Vénus home stadium is placed. This means Auckland City will have one more hurdle to overcome as they will face the current Tahitian champions in front of their home crowd.

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Stade de Mahina – AS Vénus media

The remaining two sides of the group will also play in Mahina; Ba and Lupe o le Soaga are set to play for their lives in the regional competition before the big match of the day that will see Vénus challenge the powerhouse from New Zealand.

Alvin Singh: recovered and ready for Fiji

One of the most promising players from Fiji in the 2000s, Alvin Singh had a meteoric rise on his career as he debuted for Fiji National Football Team when he was just 20 years old. Playing in Australia since 2017, the 31-year-old defender keeps playing football and looking for another opportunity in the National Team.

Alvin Singh had many memorable moments for clubs and national team throughout his football career. Born in 1988, the Fijian defender had an outstanding performance in the 2007 OFC U19 Championship when his country finished the tournament in the second position. It was just the beginning of his success: playing for Ba, Alvin felt the taste of the glory many times by winning local tournaments but it was not enough – he wanted the world.

His great appearences for Ba took him to another level as he signed with Hekari United from Papua New Guinea in 2010. He was part of the squad that played FIFA Club World Cup that year and he was in the starting eleven that faced Al-Wahda from United Arab Emirates – “We lost by 3-0 but we had our moments in the match. We had a great experience,” said Alvin.

Alvin Singh (number 25) with Hekari United’s starting eleven in 2010 FIFA Club World Cup

Before moving overseas he was already a highlighted player in his homeland. He made his official debut for Fiji National Football Team at senior level in 2008 when he came from the bench to replace Pita Bolatoga in a 2-0 win against Vanuatu in the OFC Nations Cup. His first ever appearence in Fiji’s starting eleven was in one of the most important moments of Fijian football’s history – the 2-0 win against New Zealand.

However his time was yet to come. Alvin was named to represent Fiji in 2016 Olympics that was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was Fiji’s first big exposure to international football as they have never played in such level before – “We had the time of our lives playing against South Korea, Germany and defending champions Mexico […] We were an amateur team playing against professionals,” he pointed. They did not win any match but they managed to score one goal against 2012 Olympics champions Mexico and it is going to be remembered forever.

Singh (left) against Mexico in 2016 Olympics

Singh has never played for the Bula Boys again. His last match was the 10-0 loss against Germany in the Olympics. He was called to represent his country in the upcoming years but he was not able to play due to club commitments and an ACL injury that he suffered in 2018.

Currently playing for Mount Druitt Town Rangers, a football team from Sydney that plays the Premier League New South Wales – one of the football leagues that compose Australian National Premier Leagues system, he has recovered his level after coming back from an ACL injury that he suffered in 2018. He spent some time with Rangers’ U20 to get back to fitness but he has already managed to return to the first squad to help his team – “It was a tough time but I did my best,” he pointed.

Recovered from injury, the defender expresses his desire to represent the Bula Boys again – “If called then I would love to,” he explained. Singh could be a good addition for Fiji in 2020 OFC Nations Cup that will be held in New Zealand in June.

It could be a good opportunity for Singh to play alongside with his best friend Roy Krishna for one more time. Singh recently travelled to India just to watch his best friend playing in the 2019-20 Indian Super League. Alvin and Roy are close friends and played together for a long time – “We are very close […] We started playing together since the U20 qualifiers in New Zealand (2007)” – Fiji finished the tournament in the second position and Krishna won the Golden Boot Award by scoring eight goals.

Singh (right) and Krishna (left) in 2019

Despite being 31, Fiji’s head coach Flemming Serritslev should take Alvin into consideration for OFC Nations Cup. His quality and experience can be essential for Bula Boys.

PNGFA to reboot Conference Competition, Women’s NSL to start imminently

The Papua New Guinea Football Association will attempt to relaunch the unsuccessful Conference Competition in September this year, according to a new plan put forward by NSL Competition Manager Dimirit Mileng. The plan also suggests that the 2020 Women’s National Soccer League will be starting imminently, while local competitions will take place from March to September.

The governing body had tried to expand the domestic league system at the end of last year, following an unprecedented 2019 season which saw 27 teams take part at the top level of domestic competition. However, the Conference Competition, which would have operated as a step below the National Soccer League across the four regions of the country, was cancelled in late 2019 due to lack of interest.

Since John Kapi Natto’s election to President of the PNGFA in October 2018, he has overseen a season and a half of domestic football. While the cancellation of the Conference Competition at the end of last year was a disappointment, it is credit to Kapi Natto and his team that they are willing to try again to put a second-tier of football in place underneath the current top division. Expansion and stability of the domestic league in Papua New Guinea is something we have been pushing for here at OFCe for a while.

The current NSL season will run until May. In May, Expressions of Interest (EOIs) will be required from clubs wishing to compete in the Conference Competition, while June will be the deadline for NSL clubs wishing to partake. The Conference Competition will begin in September, with the NSL following swiftly in October. It is expected to be a semi-professional league.

OFCe graphic.

In the women’s game, the 2020 season of the women’s NSL is due to start imminently. According to the official document circulated, the competition should have kicked off in February; it’s likely the beginning of the inaugural women’s semi-professional domestic division in the country is imminent. For the 2020/21 season, the women’s season is expected to follow the same timeline as the men’s NSL, with EOIs due in June and the league kicking off in October.

On the amateur side of things, local association competitions will start this month and continue until September, while the National Club Championship, which was won last year by Mungkas, will have regional qualifiers in June and the finals in September. There is also a National Youth Tournament scheduled for July, which should be an excellent opportunity for some young talent to impress the big clubs watching on.

PNG Transfer Window to open for a week on Sunday

The window for players to move clubs in this season’s Papua New Guinea National Soccer League will open after the final match of the first round of fixtures on Saturday, before slamming shut just five days later before the second round kicks-off.

During this time, any players who have already arrived at their clubs on free transfers can also be registered for the second half of the season.

If our sources are accurate, we know already that Felix Komolong will be with Lae City for the remainder of the season, having joined the club shortly before their OFC campaign. The fate of his brother, Alwin, is currently unclear, as he is with Ba for their OFC group matches and may not return to Lae as was initially reported.

Felix Komolong playing for North Kentucky Norse in the States. Photo: NKU

It’s unclear what moves will be made by other clubs. Hekari United may be looking to strengthen up front, while if Alwin Komolong doesn’t return to the club after his exploits, Lae may be looking to strengthen their backline. The likes of Vitiaz United and Tusbab Stallions will want to find ways to close the gap between themselves and the top two, while the remainder of the league may wish to bring in players who aren’t currently active in order to flesh out their squads a little.

The window will open on Sunday 8th March and close on Friday 13th March. Any information about player movements we will strive to bring you as soon as we can.

New football technical center to be opened in Tonga

A new football technical center is going to be opened at Makave, Vava’u. FIFA have already sent some representants to take part of the opening cerimony. One of the representants is Nigerian legend Yakubu Aiyegbeni.

Tonga FA staff and FIFA representants. Source: Tonga FA Media

Yakubu is a former forward that played 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He arrived in Tonga today and he was received by Tonga FA President, Lord Ve’ehala and members of the Executive Board were at the Fua’amotu International Airport.

Tonga FA staff and FIFA representants must travel to Vava’u soon.

Fiji, Tahiti and Solomon Islands set for Tri-Nations

According to local media, Fiji is set to organize another Tri-Nations tournament – as they did in 2019 – against Tahiti and Solomon Islands. The schedule is according to FIFA international dates – March 23th and 29th.

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Fiji nationa team – FFA Media

The Fijian side is set for a camp to start this Sunday (07th March) with the new head coach Flemming Serritslev. The Danish will not count with Ba players that are currently representing the Men in Black in Tahiti at OFC Champions League.

Solomon Islands is also in a camp and already selected a provisional squad of 31 players for the OFC Nations Cup. The Tri-Nations friendlies will serve as preparation for the three teams for the most important football tournament of Oceania that is set to be held in New Zealand in June.