Galaxy is set to take part in their first ever OFC Champions League this year, travelling to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to face the best of the region. The Ni-Vanuatu side has some very important players, as the Solomon Islander international Gagame Feni, the English striker Terence Carter and the midfielder from Brazil Roberson Felipe, but not only internationals make Galaxy strong, they have various players already experienced in Vanuatu national team, as Seiloni Iaruel, Selwyn Vatu and Kensi Tangis. One of the local stars of Galaxy will not be featuring in their first ever OFC Champions League match, Bong Kalo was red carded in 2019 edition of the tournament when player of Lautoka.
Galaxy is full of local talents – Galaxy FCMedia
But it will not be an easy challenge for the newcomers; they will be playing against the current champions of the tournament, Hienghène Sport from New Caledonia – a baptism of fire for the new club from Vanuatu, created only in 2014.
Despite missing some players from the 2019 edition of OFC Champions when they were champions, Hienghène Sport come strong as usual: players as Rocky Nyikeine, Cédric Sansot, Roy Kayara and Bertrand Kaï will be there to represent once again the New Caledonians – all of them big experience at international stage. Hienghène displayed a good fight against a full-professional side in the FIFA Clubs World Cup; they were defeated by 3-1 in the tournament by Al-Sadd from Qatar after extra-time. Al-Sadd that is the current Qatar Stars League champions and also reached the semifinal stage of the last AFC Champions League in Asia.
Hienghéne Sport in FIFA Clubs World Cup – AFC Media
Both sides will need a positive a start, they are in the group of death of the current OFC Champions League alongside Eastern Suburbs from New Zealand and the locals of Hekari United. Losing in the first match might be crucial, since they will not be having any easy challenges in the remaining matches of the group stage.
The group A of the OFC Champions League 2020 is set to start in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea this Sunday. The first match of the group will have the Vanuatu representatives Galaxy FC against the current OFC Champions League Hienghène Sport.
The captains of the four Group A teams
The second match of the day, the home crowd will have the chance to support Hekari United against the strong side of Eastern Suburbs from New Zealand in the debut of the former champions after several years of absence in the international stage.
The group A is known for being the group of death of OFC Champions League this year, the only group to have two teams that already won the tournament – Hienghène Sport and Hekari United – and the current New Zealand national champions. The underdogs might Galaxy from Vanuatu, but the current PVFA Premier League Top Four champions comes with a strong full of Ni-Vanuatu internationals and some well-known foreigners, as the Solomon Islander Gagame Feni and the central defender from Brazil, Diego Máximo.
Wellington Phoenix proves once again they are very strong while playing in Auckland. The second placed side Melbourne City could not get any point from their clash against the Nix at Eden Park. The likes of Jamie McLaren and Adrián Luna could not break the deadlock, despite they forced Stefan Marinovic to make a couple hard stops.
Phoenix had upfront the dangerous combination of David Ball, Ulises Dávila and Gary Hooper. Together, before the start of the clash, they had an impressive mark of 17 goals scored together – 10 from Dávila, 4 from Hooper and 3 from Ball.
And It was David Ball to have the first real chance of the clash, after controling the ball inside the penalty box and finishing behind the goalkeeper Tom Glover. Unfortuntely for Ball and Phoenix, the touch was not enough to reach the goal before it was cleared off the line by City’s defense.
The goal came in the first half; it could had been the first goal of the season and as a Phoenix player for the German Matti Steinmann. He tapped to the goal after a free kick taken by Reno Piscopo, but the VAR denied all the celebrations and kept the scoreline as the same. Melbourne did not have clear chances to score, but Jamie McClaren finished with danger in the final minutes of the first half after receiving a through ball from Susaeta.
The scoreline at half time could not not separated both sides, but in the second half the English forwards of Wellington Phoenix would combine vey well to score the first and only goal of the clash. Cameron Devlin released Gary Hooper in the right flank, the marksman ran as a winger and fed David Ball in the penalty box, Ball made no mistake by hitting the target and scoring his 4th goal of the season to give the New Zealand-based side the advantage.
Quality play and quality finish for Hooper and Ball
Stefan Marinovic made some important stops to award Phoenix a rare clean sheet in the league, only the third so far. Reno Piscopo was subbed by Callum McCowatt due an injury in the second half, despite it did not seem serious, it demans some concern on the OlyRoos member.
The final result of the match was victorious for the Phoenix, getting back to the winning ways after suffering a 4-2 defeat in Perth in the last weekened. Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi made his starting debut for Phoenix in his hometown Auckland in place of the suspended Tim Payne. Wihongi was subeed in the second half giving place for Brandon Wilson. Payne is set to retake his starting position in the next match of Phoenix, when they take on Western United in Wellington next Friday.
The New Zealanders continue in the 5th place of the table, but now with the same number of points of Adelaide United losing only in the goal difference the fourth spot.
Currently Vodafone Premier League leaders Lautoka debuted at 2020 OFC Champions League yesterday while Ba FC squad is currently in New Zealand training as part of the preparation for the continental tournament. Meanwhile these two teams are focused in the Champions League, there are other six teams ready to play in the third matchweek of 2020 Vodafone Premier League.
Suva is back to action after not playing last weekend due to the Ba-Suva clash postponement. The Capital City Boys are going to face Navua at Uprising Resort Ground. It was reported that Navua will be counting on Vineet Chand and Monit Chand after both players missed the first two matches while Michael Oyesanya and Jibola Afonja from Nigeria are ready to debut for Suva.
The Nigerian duo can be crucial for Suva as they look for their second win in the tournament while Navua is still aiming to grab their first points in the league.
Afonja (left) and Oyesanya (right) must debut for Suva this weekend.
On the other hand, Rewa comes to this match with lots of excitement after beating Nasinu by 4-3 in a breathtaking match full of setbacks. Now they have another challenge against Nadi and they need to look for another win to reach the top positions in the league. France Catarogo scored on his debut last weekend and he is going to find the net more and more while Tevita Waranaivalu and Gabriele Matanisiga will also have this mission.
Avinesh Suwamy (left) during his debut for Nadi against Lautoka. Source: Fiji FA Media
After losing two matches and suffering ten goals, Nasinu looks for rehabilitation in the league as they will host Labasa at Ratu Cakobau Park. Solomon Islands international Atkin Kaua scored a hat-trick on his debut and now people expect a lot from him. He must have the help of his countrymen Jared Rongosulia and Marlon Tahioa while team captain Jone Naraba must face Labasa as well.
Labasa lost in their debut against Suva but they already found the winning path by beating Navua by 2-0 last weekend with two goals scored by Siotame Kubu. Babasiga Lions now have the opportunity to win their second straight match as they are facing the worst defense in the tournament so far. Kubu and Ratu Anare must be ready to find the net and take Labasa forward.
Siotame Kubu scored a brace against Navua
You can check the top scorers and current league standings by clicking here.
The unpredictable happened yesterday in the 13th round of the Ligue 1 Vini. The leader of the table, AS Venus, lost againt AS Dragon after an incredible match that ended with the result of 4-3 for the capital team. But let’s go in order.
AS Venus was leading 3 to 0 already after half an hour’s game. 2 goals were scored by Heinui Amau and the other by the usual scorer Teaonui Tehau.
Tehau in a match against AS Pirae
Everything seemed to go as planned for the Mahinian team. But the Dragon’s players players did not give up and began to press to shorten the distances between the two teams.
It was Rainui Tze-Yu who first allows the Titioro club to regain hope before half-time. So the two teams entered the locker rooms with Venus leading by two (3-1). On the second half after few minute, Roonui Tehau, made a magnificent half-volley at 25 meters, and he put Dragon back on the right track (3-2).
Roonui Tehau with the Tahitian National Team
Someone would had imagine that the red card against the Dragon player, Raiamanu Tetauira, would allow Venus to revive in the clash. In fact this expulsion did not affect the morale of the Dragon players who continue to attack to tie the game.
At the 75th minute they had scored their third goal and finally they reached the draw. The question is: how was possible that Venus disappeared like that from the pitch? Only Samuel Garcia and his players can answer that. But the match was not finished yet. It was in the 88th minute of play when Hennel Tehaamoana scored the last goal and the winner for AS Dragon. Now AS Tiare Tahiti e AS Pirae can pass their rival and take the top of the table if they in the weekend Ligue 1 Vini round.
Neither Papua New Guinea’s Lae City nor Solomon Islands’ Henderson Eels will get anywhere near close to lifting the OFC Champions League trophy unless their performances see a marked upturn in skill, quality and defensive solidity.
The opening ten minutes of the game was ping-pong football, with both sides showing some nervy passing, sloppiness in possession, and poorly-timed attempts at goal, which were often snapped at. It’s understandable that the players will have been nervous on the big stage, but even once the game had settled into somewhat of a rhythm, there were some key issues for both sides that need addressing.
Eels looked, for the most part, more impressive and assured than Lae, and the Solomon Islands’ league runners-up did an adequate job at retaining possession in the midfield and defence. However, their total and utter reliance on young starlet Raphael Lea’i, who is only 16, is a concern. Yes, Lea’i looks to be an absolutely superb talent, and he will undoubtedly see his footballing future away from the Solomon Islands, but there was almost zero creativity from anywhere else on the field. Lea’i was the only player willing to take on defenders, and his goal, which put Eels 2-1 up going into half-time, was a result of his mazy running, intricate footwork, and ability to finish from an exceptionally tight angle. It’s great to have a player like that in your side, but with such a huge amount of pressure on such young shoulders, it’s difficult to imagine that Eels can rely on the youngster to take the team all the way to victory.
Raphael Lea’i is just 16 years old, but already the lynchpin of the Henderson Eels side.
At the back, Solomon Islands number 1 Desmond Tutu had a shocking match, which could have led to Lae City scoring far more than just the three they put away. Tutu looked nervy on the ball, made several uncomfortable saves and more than a few questionable decisions. One would hope that now the first game is out of the way that nerves will settle slightly, and we’ll see more of the reason why Tutu is first choice for the national team.
For Lae City, there were perhaps some even bigger problems. As predicted in my preview of their chances, their defence is ageing and problematic, and after Eels scored their second goal through Lea’i, after just 39 minutes, coach Peter Gunemba made a change in the defence, taking off Valentine Nelson, 32, and bringing on former Morobe United defender Joshua Oscar, 29. Clearly, Nelson was unable to handle the pace and skill of young Lea’i, and further questions will be asked of Nelson, his defensive partner Mosie Milubwe, and others in matches to come. For the defence to concede two unnecessary penalties also shows a lack of professionalism and perhaps a tinge of panicking under pressure.
However, Lae didn’t just have problems at the back. In the midfield, their passing felt rushed, and as a result the side were unable to keep hold of possession for long periods of time. One positive, though, is how direct the side were: particularly in the first half, although Eels dominated possession, Lae had the better chances, as the ball would be pumped or worked forward swiftly to strikers Raymond Gunemba, Nigel Dabinyaba and Obert Bika.
Gunemba’s finishing will be key to Lae’s chances, but he needs to show a little more composure.
However, the strikers didn’t have a particularly good day either. Dabinyaba, until his goal, looked well off his usual solid standard, while Ray Gunemba in particular looked as if the occasion had gotten to him. In fairness, he was being tightly marked by the two Eels centre-backs, but at times it looked as if Gunemba wanted to win too much. Of the two clear-cut chances he had, the first was blasted directly at the ‘keeper and well saved, while the other he failed to really get a hold of. There were also several moments when Gunemba had his arms raised in despair, either due to challenges against him, poor passes aimed towards him from team-mates, or team-mates shooting instead of laying the ball off to him in better positions. As Gunemba reaches the end of his career, it’s understandable that he sees his chances of winning competitions like this growing thinner, but the veteran must show more composure in the next two group games in order to have a chance of progressing to the knock-outs.
The first day of 2020 OFC Champions League goes on as Group B hosts Malampa Revivors faced Lautoka from Fiji. This match marked the debut of Liam Anderson, Jack Caunter and Jason Thomas for the Fijian side. The 2019 Vodafone Premier League runners-up started the match with three defenders while Thomas was placed as a defensive midfielder. Forward Dave Radrigai did not play this match because he was sent off in the last Lautoka’s game in 2019 OFC Champions League so he was suspended. Shazil Ali also missed this match but there are no reliable sources about the reason for his absence.
Malampa Revivors fielded a young but talented squad and they showed to Lautoka that they are not in OFC Champions League for distraction. Revivors showed convincing tactics with good ball possession and high pace for counter-attacks. Edwin Bai had an outstanding performance in the first half and his apix was the nice assist that he delieverd to Azariah Soromon score the first goal of the match in the seventeenth minute.
Malampa Revivors players celebrating Soromon’s goal with the fans
Lautoka started to have some defensive difficults after suffering the goal and the Revivors started to create more and more. However a penalty kick was awarded for the Bluez from Fiji when Tasso Jeffery fouled Alex Saniel inside the box and New Zealander defender Jack Caunter found the net to equalize. Things got even better for Lautoka when Revivors’ forward Andre Batick was sent off in the 34th minute after fouling Jason Thomas that needed medical treatment.
It was expected that Revivors would face big troubles in the second half by playing with just ten players. However thay kept their high level and managed to put pressure on Lautoka. A penalty kick was awarded to the Ni-Vanuatu side after Liam Anderson took Azariah Soromon down in the penalty area. Soromon had the opportunity to score his second goal in the match but he sent it away. He also had some other chances to find the net but he missed them. After the final whistle the scored was a 1-1 draw. You can check the goals in the video below:
Despite not scoring, Alex Saniel called the attention. His capacity of playing with his back to the defender helped Lautoka to reach the offensive field as he was always there to help his teammates by establishing pass lines.
The group B hosts deserved to win even playing with a player short and it must encourage them for the next match against Henderson Eels while Lautoka must think twice about their strategy before facing Lae City on Tuesday.
After a 4-2 defeat in the last matchday of the Australian A-League against Perth Glory away from home, Wellington Phoenix is back to New Zealand, but not for the usual Sky Stadium – the Wellington-based club will play once again in Auckland, at Eden Park against Melbourne City.
The opponents of Phoenix for this clash come on a high in the league so far, standing 2nd in the table after beating Melbourne Victory in their city derby. Their top scorer of the season so far – and 2nd in the league – Jamie McClaren scored 14 goals in the season and might the biggest threat for the Phoenix defense led by Steven Taylor.
The good news for Wellington Phoenix is that their midfielder Matti Steinmann will be back to the squad after suspension, but the first choice right back Tim Payne will be missing this clash.
Hooper is the biggest hope of goals for Phoenix – RNZ
Gary Hooper, that scored four goals so far in the season, scored a brace in the defeat against Perth Glory. The Enligh striker is the reference in attack, making him the biggest gope of goals for Wellington Phoenix. The New Zealanders will hope that players as Ulises Dávila might get back on track to help their side to grab a very important win against Melbourne City at Eden Park.
Phoenix is sitting at the 5th position in the table so far, three points away Adelaide United that sits 4th in the process. The match will kick-off at 7pm NZT and will be telecasted by Sky Sport and also streamed for intertional A-League followers in MyFootball YouTube channel.
One of the most important players of Hekari United, David Muta is currently recovering from an injury and it is not known if he is going to be available for Hekari United in their debut in 2020 OFC Champions League against Eastern Suburbs.
According to reliable sources, the 32-year-old midfielder and team captain is already training with the team and Hekari’s head coach Jerry Allen might wait until the eleventh hour to decide if Muta will make the starting eleven or not.
David Muta. Source: Hekari United FC – Red Army
Muta is a legendary player of Hekari United. He was part of the squad that won 2010 OFC Champions League.
The match opener of the OFC Champions League surely entertained a lot the fans at Soccer City Stadium in Luganville, but surely made their coaches worried about their defensive display. Lae City, the champions of Papua New Guinea, and Henderson Eels started the group B held in Vanuatu, where a brace from Emmanuel Simon and Tutizama Tanito made both sides end a hard fought draw.
The match started with a mistake from Eels’ goalkeeper Desmond Tutu, but for the luck of his side could not turn into a goal for Lae City. But, just in the following minute, a good play by Raymond Gunemba found Emmanuel Simon free inside the box, just to tap the ball to the low corner of Tutu to put his side ahead.
Lae City celebrates their first goal – MyCujoo
Lae continued to pressure in order to score a second goal, being dangerous for the defensive system led by Freddie Kini. It took some time for Eels to find their balance in the match, but the team coached by Eddie Marahare had an amazing opportunity when Troy Gunemba made a foul inside the penalty box. Tutizama Tanito took the ball to the penalty spot and found the low corner of Ronald Warisan to level the scoreline.
The 1-1 result was not the final score of the first half, as the youngster Raphael Lea’i scored the second for the Solomon Islanders. The 16-year-old forward was too fast for Lae City defense and finished a powerful shot to score his first goal in the competition. Interesting fact of the first game: Lea’i goal passed through a hole in the nets, forcing the referees and match assistants to repair the nets in the middle of the game.
Raphael Lea’i (No.19) was very dangerous for Eels in the clash – Malampa FA
The first half ended with the advantage for the Solomon Islanders and they might be disappointed they could not extend in the first minutes of the second half, as Lae City defense managed to clear two balls in the goal line to avoid the third goal of Eels.
If Eels did not score, Lae City did so. A handball inside area of Derrick Taebo forced the referee Norbert Hauata to award the second penalty of the clash, this time for Lae. The Papua New Guinean international Emmanuel Simon stepped up and made no mistake to put his side leveled in the score.
The beautiful sight of Soccer City Stadium – Malampa FA
It did not take long for Lae to retake the advantage: after a good combination play, the experienced Nigel Dabinyaba was found free in the box just to finish to Desmond Tutu goal to score his first in the process and the third for his side in the game.
But the game was really destined to end in a draw: Norbert Hauta awarded another penalty for Henderson Eels as Eddie Managu made a clear foul inside the penalty box. Tutizama Tanito once again took the penalty and scored; his second so far in the league.
Both Lae and Eels had chances to score a winner: Raymond Gunemba hit the post in the 87th minute of play and in the following moments, Emmanuel Simon with a powerful shot was denied a hattrick with a good stop of Desmond Tutu. Eels had a free kick in the edge of the box at the 90th of play, but it was wasted by Joses Nawo.
Lae City and Henderson Eels collected one point each from this clash. The two sides will play again next 18th February at Soccer City Stadium – Lae will be playing against the Fijians of Lautoka while Henderson Eels will take on the locals of Malampa Revivors.
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