The Brazilian top-defender Erick Joe of Hekari United received a greenlight to play against Galaxy FC from Vanuatu in the final and decisive match of the group A held in Port Moresby. Hekari United neeeds a win for the biggest possible goal margin to seal their spot in the knock-out of the OFC Champions League 2020 – a simple win will not guarantee a spot for the Papua New Guinean powerhouse in the decisive phase of the competition.
Erick Joe celebrates his goal against Hienghène – OFC Media
The tall Brazilian is impressing with his performances, being a rock in the defensive system of Hekari United. He scored one goal against Hienghène Sport in their 2-2 draw in the second group match. In this same match, the central defender needed to make way for Otto Kusunan after colliding with the goalkeeper Ishmael Pole. The player left the pitch coughing and also with blurred vision, giving signs he could not be fit to play against Galaxy in the final group match.
The good news for Hekari United fans is that the important defender recovered himself from the injuries and will be able to defend Hekari in one of their most important matches of the season so far.
The current title holders of the OFC Champions League Hienghène Sport are in a hard situation in the group A of the current edition of the regional tournament; the New Caledonians lost by 4-1 against Galaxy FC from Vanuatu and draw in the late stages of the match against the hosts of Hekari United from Papua New Guinea. Hyehen goes for their final group match against the New Zealand side of Eastern Suburbs needing a strong performance to beat them by the biggest margin possible of goals to keep their chances to proceed alive in the tournament.
The key man of Hienghène, the midfielder and New Caledonian international Joseph Athalé, told Oceania Fotoball Center what happened to the current champions in the first two matches of the competition: “We lost some goal chances against Hekari United, but we were much better than in our match against Galaxy. In our debut, we were not organized as usual and did not play with our hearts – we were not warriors“, stated Athalé.
Joseph Athalé
The industrious midfielder, that also can play as central defender and right-back, scored two goals for his side in the competition from the penalty spot. The mentally strong Athalé, kept focused to beat the goalkeeper Ishmael Pole of Hekari United to equalise the game already inside the 80th minute mark – the goal kept the chances of Hienghène still alive for the final matchday in Port Moresby.
“We have nothing to lose. We are going to give everything and we will see afterwards”, stated the New Caledonian international. Athalé also mentioned he feels the team will improve on their last game against Hekari United when they take on Eastern Suburbs, playing ‘as warriors’ – one strong characteristic of the champions Hienghène that went missing in the starting matches: “Against Eastern Suburbs we will fight even harder, we have to put everyting in this game“, mentioned the player.
The champions are down; but they still have a chance to raise in order to defender its crown – only the final whistle will seal the destiny of the brave and historical Hienghène Sport of Joseph Athalé.
Malampa Revivors qualified for 2020 OFC Champions League knockout stage by beating Lae City from Papua New Guinea by 3-0 in the last matchday of Group B. The Ni-Vanuatu side finished the group stage unbeaten as they won one match and drew the other two.
That is the third Revivors’ appearence in the continental tournament. They made their debut in 2017 and played one more time in 2019 so it is their second straight season in the Champions League. Despite having played the tournament twice they arrived to this year’s edition with the mission of winning their first match in Champions League’s history as Revivors finished the 2017 edition with zero points in three matches while in 2019 they drew one match and lost the other two.
Malampa Revivors starting eleven against Hienghène Sport in 2019 OFC Champions League. Source: OFC Media
After two draws in the first two gamedays of 2020 OFC Champions League being the Group B hosts, people thought that the match against Lae City would be Malampa’s dead end and they would finish one more year without winning in the competiton.
However the Ni-Vanuatu side had an outstanding performance as they beat Lae by 3-0 to keep their unbeaten run in the current tournament. Andre Batick’s hat-trick will never be forgotten by the supporters. The striker did not last the previous match because he was suspended due as he saw the red card in the opening match against Lautoka.
Andre Batick scored a hat-trick to qualify Malampa Revivors to the quarterfinals. Source: OFC Media
Revivors’ qualification to the knockout stage is something remarkable specially for some players that represented the team in all participations in the Champions League as Andre Batick, Jeffery Tasso and Edwin Bai. Midfielder Claude Aru is another player that must be highlighted once he had very important role in the group stage. He was surely one of the best players from Group B this year.
Now it is time to get down to training and wait for their opponent in the quarterfinals.
Solomon Warriors announce their new hed coach for OFC Champions League. It was released that Selson Molea will manage the 2019-20 Telekom S-League winners in the continental tournament.
Vanuatu’s Malampa Revivors demonstrated sleekness and professionalism as they ran out 3-0 victors over Papua New Guinea’s Lae City FC in the final group match in Group B of the OFC Champions League earlier today. The result means Malampa Revivors qualify for the knockout stages as group winners, while Lae City are eliminated.
With Lae leading the group standings after their 7-0 demolition of Lautoka in the second group match midweek, many expected the side to pick up the win or draw that they required to go through as group winners. However, after Henderson Eels came from two goals behind to defeat Lautoka in the early kick-off, both sides knew that they needed a result from this fixture to join Eels in the next round.
For the most part, both sides kept their sides more-or-less unchanged, with current PNG national team goalkeeper Ronald Warisan replacing the impressive Matheson Nasa in goal, while Andre Batick returned to the Malampa side following his suspension after being sent off in their opening fixture against Lautoka. And it was Batick’s return which made all the difference.
The opening half an hour was a fairly dull affair, but the signs of what was to come were there: Malampa, while not particularly impressive going forward, were tidy at the back, and swept up most of Lae’s attacks with ease. The Lae strikers were, for the most part, nullified by the Malampa defence, and struggled to keep hold of possession.
The breakthrough came just after the half-hour mark, with Lae the architects of their own demise. In a fairly innocuous situation in midfield, poor ball control and defensive positioning led to Batick’s first goal: the ball was given away in the midfield and lofted over the defence, and Batick was released with a nicely-weighted through-ball, and made the finish look easy.
Andre Batick scored a marvellous hat-trick to put Malampa through to the next round. Photo: OFC
Shortly before half-time, Lae again gave away possession in the midfield, and Malampa were able to capitalise with some swift wing play down the left, before Batick was allowed to control, turn and bury the ball in the goal for Malampa’s second, moments before the half-time whistle.
Despite coming out full of fire in the second half, Lae City were unable to create any real clear cut chances, thanks mainly to the organisation of the Malampa defence. With Lae pushing forward in search of the two goals they needed, gaps began to be exposed in defence, and just before the hour mark, a rather innocuous ball out of defence was won in the air by Batick on the half-way line. The striker proceeded to sprint with the ball into the penalty box with the Lae defence nowhere to be seen, and slotted the ball home for his hat-trick.
As frustrated began to boil over, play began to be disrupted by some niggly fouls from both sides, disrupting the rhythm of the game, rhythm which Lae desperately needed to find. It wasn’t to be, though, and to rub salt into the wounds, Joshua Oscar was sent off for a second bookable offence after a late tackle, and captain Raymond Gunemba followed him down the tunnel after a argument with the referee saw him shown his second yellow card too.
Raymond Gunemba was sent off for arguing with the referee. Photo: PNGFA
So Malampa will host a quarter-final after finishing top of the group, while Henderson Eels will need to travel to their opponents as runners-up in the group. Lae City, despite their big victory in the second matchday, are eliminated.
The talented Ni-Vanuatu international Bong Kalo is cleared to play for the final match of Galaxy FC against Hekari United from Papua New Guinea in the group A of the OFC Champions League 2020. The midfielder was suspended for the starting two matches in the competition due a red card received for the player in the 2019 edition of the competition when he defended the colours of Lautoka from Fiji.
Bong Kalo – Galaxy FC Media
Oceania Football Center talked to Kalo and confirmed he is available for the clash against Hekari: “Yes, I am cleared to play the last pool match“, said the midfielder. Bong Kalo also mentioned his expectations about the game: “I feel ready for the match; we want to win and also have a clean sheet. I will help my team in the battle in the midfield“, stated the talent Ni-Vanuatu international.
Kalo is key figure for Vanuatu football and also Galaxy FC; It is expected the player will be the substitute of Eddison Stephen that was sent off in the previous game of their team against Eastern Suburbs.
After a hard-fought win their latest match in the Australian top-tier Hyundai A-League by 1-0 against Melbourne City, the New Zealand-based club Wellington Phoenix is back to Wellington after playing at Eden Park in Auckland to take on Western United – a team coached by the former Wellington Phoenix commander Mark Rudan.
Phoenix will count on the right-back Tim Payne – Payne was not available for Phoenix in their latest game in the process due a red card in the defeat against Perth Glory. Phoenix will come with their full force to face Western United of the prolific striker Besart Berisha.
David Ball (right) is one of the key man for Wellington Phoenix – Stuff
Phoenix will hope the English connection of Gary Hooper alongside David Ball keeps working, as the players combined very well in their 1-0 win over Melbourne City for the winning goal of the clash.
Stefan Marinovic and his defensive system will hope to continue the good run, the victory against City was only the third clean sheet of the season for the New Zealand international goalkeeper, but they will be certainly needing to look after the well-known Berisha and the former Greek international Panagiotis Kone.
Phoenix stands in the 5th position in the standings so far – Western United is currently at 7th – being separeted by six points from their matchday opponents. A win can put the Nix in the 3rd position in the process if all results in the weekend help them.
The match will be telecasted by Sky Sports and streamed by MyFootball YouTube channel; the kick-off at SkyStadium is schedule to be at 7:15 PM NZT.
A fantastic game, full of drama and emotions that only football can provide took place in Luganville, Vanuatu. Lautoka and Henderson Eels played a true clash that for sure entertained the local crowd in Espíritu Santo island.
Lautoka played a far better match than in their 7-0 defeat against Lae City, but still could not find their so needed win. The coach Anand Sami made several chances in the team as the central defender Jason Thomas not featuring in the game. They started the clash pulling ahead after a very good play of Alex Saniel, he lobbed the ball over the keeper, Dave Radrigai touched it back to the area and Shazil Ali powerful shot found the nets of Desmond Tutu.
The Solomon Islanders went forward to pursue the equalizing goal; Joses Nawo created a very good play, passed to Raphael Lea’i that could connect a good shot, sending it over the bar. Before the goalscoring change of Eels, Lautoka had also a chance to double their lead in a counter-attack, but it was wasted by Shivam Naidu.
The first half ended with a narrow advantage for the Fijians; but It did not took long after the start of the second half for the Blues to score again: Dave Radrigai received a ball upfront in a good counter-attack move and he was brought inside the penalty box by the goalkeepre Desmond Tutu. The New Zealander defender Jack Caunter took the responsibility to take it and made no mistake.
The substitions made by the coach Eddie Marahare were not making effect; Obed Ofea was introduced in place of Leon Kofana to send the team forward, but Eels could not create goalscoring chances. The things changed when Kennedy Watemae entered in the game in place of Hudson Felani and the experienced Joses Nawo was sent to a playmaking position.
Joses Nawo was instrumental for Eels comeback – OFC Media
In a very good play of Tuti Zama Tanito, he crossed the ball and found the sub Watemae in the area, a powerful finish put Henderson Eels back to the game at the 72th minute, finding the nets of the goalkeeper Liam Anderson.
Eels continued to press high Lautoka, playing inside the offensive field of the Fijian side and finding spaces in their defense. Despite pressing high, having opportunities, it was only that in the 87th minute of play that the wonderkid Raphael Lea’i scored the equalizer for his side. He received the ball in the edge of the box and finished with quality in the low corner of the opposition goalkeeper to level the match.
Raphael Lea’i scored the second goal for Henderson Eels – OFC Media
The draw was not enough to guarantee the spot in the knock-out stage for the Solomon Islanders, but for the joy of the locals supporting Eels in the Soccer City Stadium, in the injury time a lapse of concentration of the Fijian defense allowed Raphael Lea’i to touch the ball back to area after a through ball – his pace was tremendous in the play – to find the experienced Joses Nawo free in the box to score the winner for Henderson Eels. The celebration was intense as the goal is vital for the aspirations of the Solomon Islands’ team in the OFC Champions League.
The 3-2 result in favour of Eels seals the destiny of both sides in the competition: Lautoka is the first team to be eliminated from the group stage of the 2020 edition of OFC Champions League, as Henderson Eels is the first side to guarantee a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition. This will be second-time Henderson Eels proceeds to the knock-out stage of the regional tournament – the team took part in only two OFC Champions League editions and qualified through the group stage in both opportunities.
Group leaders Lae City and group hosts Malampa Revivors will take each other on in crucial Group B clash, with everything on the line for both sides.
After Lae’s astonishing 7-0 victory over Lautoka in the second group match, you might be forgiven for thinking that the Papua New Guinea side’s work is already done: they’re top of Group B by two clear points and have a huge goal tally of ten goals from just two games. However, it could still go all wrong if the home crowd inspires Malampa Revivors to their first victory of the tournament in this decisive match.
Lae will be brimming with confidence after their demolition of Lautoka, and Emmanuel Simon, the leading top goalscorer in the competition with four goals, will be hoping to add to his tally against his Vanuatuan opponents. Star striker Raymond Gunemba has three in two games, and he’ll also be chasing goals to further his chances of grabbing the Golden Boot at the end of the tournament.
Emmanuel Simon has hugely impressed in Lae’s opening two fixtures. Photo: OFC
After the successful reshuffle of the squad against Lautoka, expect coach Peter Gunemba to stick with more-or-less the same team that started that game, although a potential weakness might be the makeshift full-back pairing of Emmanuel Airem and Joshua Oscar, who will undoubtedly provide attacking options but weren’t really tested in defence against a poor Lautoka side.
Malampa Revivors have shown signs of promise in their opening two fixtures as well, however. In their opening match, they held out for a 1-1 draw against Lautoka despite playing two-thirds of the match with ten men after Andre Batick was sent off in the 35th minute. And, they then showed grit and resilience to comeback from 2-1 down against Henderson Eels on Tuesday, having gone a goal behind with just ten minutes to go before super-sub Armando Ravo scored a magical equaliser.
Armando Ravo (#6) scored a dramatic late equaliser against Henderson Eels on Tuesday. Photo: OFC
Defensively they have looked relatively solid, and Lae certainly won’t find it as easy to penetrate the back line as they did against Lautoka. They may not have a star player in the squad, but they are perhaps the best ‘team’ in the group, not reliant on one or two men to lead the line, but rather focusing on togetherness, teamwork and strength in number. They will not be easy to beat.
After Henderson Eels’ win against Lautoka, both sides know exactly what they need to do to qualify. For Lae, a draw will be enough to go through as group winners, while Malampa must win, and if they do, then they will eliminate Lae City in the process.
Eastern Suburbs is close to seal their spot in the next stage of the OFC Champions League; the Lilywhites won their initial match in the competition against the Papua New Guinean powerhouse Hekari United and draw in the final moments of the game against Galaxy FC in the second match in the group A. The New Zealand-based club scored four goals in the tournament so far, all of them scored by the powerful Martin Bueno, a well-known top-scorer from Uruguay that already reached impressing records in New Zealand.
Bueno helped Napier City Rovers to win the traditional Chatham Cup in New Zealand; he was linked to a potential South African top-tier move before the start of the ISPS Handa Premiership in New Zealand, but he ended-up signing for the current title holders Eastern Suburbs – and he is having a very good season so far.
Bueno celebrates the Chatham Cup for Napier City Rovers – NZF Media
The central striker that is impressing at regional stage, talked to Oceania Football Center about his recent clash against Galaxy FC and his expectations for their final group match against the current title holders Hienghène Sport.
Bueno praised Galaxy from their match against Eastern Suburbs: “It was a really tough game. We faced a pretty good and organized team that had some experience players that knew how to manage the game when they were upfront. We made a few mistaks at the back and they punished us“, explained Bueno. The played also added that the weather conditions were harsh for the New Zealanders: “It was too hot, very warm. It was even hard to breathe“.
“I was impressed with Galaxy quality, to be honest. They are a good team. Strong, fast and they have some experienced players. Football is very equal right now, so we can have a team from Vanuatu playing this excellent football“, added Bueno.
Bueno scored four goals in two matches so far in OCL – OFC Media
“I am pretty happy with the work the team has been doing, obviously it is very tough conditions for us that we are not used to and I think we are adapting very well and working hard for each other in the moments where everything is not quite going our way“, said Bueno regarding Eastern Suburbs performances in the both matches.
Despite the results, Bueno believes his side can do even better than what they are doing currently: “Our way to play is to try to keep the ball and break lines. Definitely in New Zealand we did better than here [PNG], but we are not afraid to go long as well. So just need to keep trusting and believing what the coach want us to do and I am confident that the result will come next game“, explained the striker.
Eastern Suburbs still has a match to be played to confirm their spot in the knock-out; the newcomers in the tournament will face the current champions Hienghène Sport – a draw will be enough for the Auckland-based team to proceed: “It is going to be a very tough match the next one against Hienghène; it will be big final for us“, states the Uruguayan.
As Bueno stated, football is developing everywhere right now: Oceania needs to keep in this path to get closer the gap from the other Football Confederations – the results from this OFC Champions League are proving that the gap from the New Zealand clubs to other members associations is decreasing, but the job needs to keep on track to bring high-standard football to the region.
Eastern Suburbs will play their final match in the tournament on this Saturday when they face Hienghène Sport at Sir Jonh Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Oceania Football Center 