Tupapa Maraerenga is not going to play 2020 OFC Champions League anymore. The current football champions from Cook Islands withdrew from the tournament after three players were not allowed to play because they did not prove they are not immunized against measles.
Tupapa men’s team celebrating the CIFA Cup’s title
It is not known which players were not allowed to contest but Oceania Football Center keeps investigating about it. There are some reports that two players from Solomon Warriors are not going to play the OFC Champions League due to the same issue.
Consequently, the matches on March 1 (Tupapa Maraerenga FC vs AS Magenta), March 4 (Tupapa Maraerenga FC vs Solomon Warriors) and March 7 (AS Tiare Tahiti vs Tupapa Maraerenga FC) will not take place.
Ni-Vanuatu team Galaxy FC came back to training on Friday after returning from Papua New Guinea on Tuesday in order to keep players’ fitness level as they have less than two months to contest OFC Champions League quarterfinals. They finished the Group A in the second position with four points in three matches and they are now waiting for their opponents in the knockout stage.
Galaxy’s owner Andrew Leong pointed that they need total focus in the next phase – “Galaxy FC will need to get better and players must be hungry to win. We have done well but now it is real business. There is no second chances, it is win or lose,” he stated.
He also added that all players must be ready and willing to win – “There will be no room for players who do not have a fighting spirit […] I do trust them after doing so well in the Champions League”.
Galaxy is playing OFC Champions League for the first time ever but they already proved they are a strong side. They can be a tough challenge for every single team in this tournament.
In the current edition of the regional tournament, the reigning champions Hienghène Sport was knocked-out of the tournamement in the group stage, leaving the traditional AS Magenta as only representative of New Caledonia.
The New Caledonian international and important piece of AS Magenta midfield Didier Simane talked to Oceania Football Center regarding his expectations for the tournament that is close to start for his side.
Didier Simane – LNC
The 23-year-old that already played 14 matches at OFC Champions League stated his side is focused in the physical area of the game: “We are working hard to reach the finals once again. Our main focus is the physical preparation; if your body is not ready, we can not play football well“.
Magenta almost won the regional tournament twice, but the first goal for the New Caledonians is to proceed to the next stage: “We are focused in the three matches we are having now“, said Simane. “We will face each challenge at once” added the midfielder.
“I believe in my team, we have a very good environment and team spirit. We are positive, but we know it is going to be a tough challenge“, explained the six-time international for New Caledonia.
Simane is fair about the opponents his AS Magenta will take on in the group C: “We know very well Solomon Warriors, but not that much Tiare Tahiti for now. But we expect our family and fans to be there in the stadium to support us in this task“, stated Didier Simane.
Simane and the home crowd at Stade Numa Daly will hope Magenta can fly high as they had done in the previous edition of the OFC Champions League.
Stade Numa Daly will host the group C of the OFC Champions League, where the current runners-up of the regional tournament AS Magenta will expect to continue their good form when they take on Solomon Warriors, Tupapa Maraerenga and newcomers from Tahiti, AS Tiare Tahiti.
The captain of the four teams in the contest – OFC Media
The first two matches of the group will see the Solomon Islands champions face Tiare Tahiti, while the Cook Islands side coming from the preliminary stage will have a hard task against the hosts of Magenta.
You can check all you need to know about the sides playing in New Caledonia by reading our OFC Champions League Guide – Groups C & D. Oceania Football Center will make a comprehensive coverage about both groups in play to decide the last four teams to proceed to the knock-out stage of the most important club football tournament of Oceania.
The Solomon Warriors are ready to debut in 2020 OFC Champions League and they have a clear target in this tournament: make the knockout stage. The Solomon Islands side was eliminated in the group stage in the last edition by finishing the Group D in the third position in 2019.
Despite not being allowed to sign new players due to Solomon Islands’ transfer rules, Warriors have a strong squad that has enough quality to advance through the next stage including Vanuatu international midfielder John Alick.
Alick representing Solomon Warriors. Source: SIFF Media
He has also expressed his confidence for the continental tournament – “The team is stronger this year. We have a good team and good coaching staff,” he pointed.
Warriors will debut on OFC Champions League in a few hours. They are going to face AS Tiare Tahiti at Stade Numa Daly in New Caledonia.
Henderson Eels had a good performance in 2020 OFC Champions League as they are now qualified for the knockout stage. However things were not so easy to the Solomon Islands side as forward Joses Nawo scored a goal in the 96th minute against Lautoka to give Henderson Eels a spot in the quarterfinals.
It was a very difficult match for Eels. They were losing by 2-0 when head coach Eddie Marahare made some changes that really made the difference – “I made tactical changes to drop Joses Nawo as a free player as we were having only three defenders which allowed more players to attack. The addition of Kennedy Watemae who replaced Hudson Felani was very important once he opened the gates for the win by scoring the first goal,” said Marahare.
Nawo scored a late goal to qualify Henderson Eels for the quarterfinals. Source: OFC Media
The changes were risky but they were worth – “I am happy with the performance of two players that did a good job against Lautoka: Rollence Misitana in central defense and Obed Ofea who replaced Leon Kofana in the second half,” explained Eddie. Eels finished the group stage unbeaten as they won one match and drew another two and it made Marahare satisfied with the team’s performance in the tournament so far.
Eels’ opponent in the quarterfinals is not known yet but they are already getting ready for the clash that is scheduled to be played on April 25/26 – “We have five weeks for the team to work on areas that need improvement like team defending and positional play. Improvements on these areas will make things tougher for our opponents in the quarterfinals,” – pointed Eddie.
Eddie Marahare coaching the Eels in the OFC Champions League. Source: OFC Media
Marahare is proving his quality as a head coach. He recently won the Best Coach Award of 2019-20 Telekom S-League, the main football league in Solomon Islands. Now it is time to prove himself in the next level: the OFC Champions League knockout stage.
Hume City faced Dandenong City in the third matchweek of 2020 NPL Victoria, the top-tier of football in Victoria, Australia.
Dandenong opened the scoreboard in the first half but Hume managed to score twice and win the match. Vanuatu international Mitch Cooper scored the second and last goal of jos team to seal the 2-1 win.
Cooper (circled) with Hume City squad. Source: Hume City Media
Hume City leads the NPL Victoria with nine points in three matches.
Port Vila Municipal Stadium hosted the 2020 PVFA Opening Cup finals this Saturday. Two matches were played to decide the champions and the final positions in the tournament.
In the opening match Tupuji Imere faced a young Erakor Golden Star squad in the third place match. Tupuji built a good advantage in the beginning of the match by scoring two goals but this advantage was blown as Erakor found the net twice to tie the game in the late minutes of the first half.
Tupuji managed to score two more goals in the second half while Erakor scored only one. The final score was 4-3 for Tupuji Imere that finished the tournament in the third position. Azariah Soromon was a key player in this match as he scored two important goals to help his team to win the clash.
Tafea and Ifira Black Bird clashed in the final contest. Jordy Tasip opened the scoreboard for Tafea in the first half but they saw Ifira reaching the top as Samuel Kaloros and Sam Kalter found the net to seal the 2-1 win.
Ifira and Tafea captains before the match. Source: Vanuatu Sports News
Now it is time to turn the attention to the Port Vila Premier League that must resume in March. Ifira Black Bird and Tafea still have a lot to prove if they want to win the league as both teams are tied in the first position with eighteen points in nine matches.
Oceania Football Center 