That was, until Yagi Yasasa scored a fantastic goal to break the deadlock in the 88th minute. The midfielder dribbled past three defenders before hammering the ball into the roof of the net, and celebrating with a fabulous forward somersault.
Vitiaz currently sit 3rd in the league table, with six wins and one defeat after seven games. They are behind former champions Hekari United and reigning champions Lae City.
HJK faced Inter Turku at Talin jalkapallohalli in the third matchweek of the 2020 Finnish Cup group stage. Papua New Guinean international David Browne was in HJK’s starting eleven for the fourth straight match.
There is no reliable sources about Browne’s performance. However he left the pitch in the 54th minute as he was replaced by Riku Riski.
Browne played 54 minutes against Inter Turku
HJK won by 1-0 with a goal scored by Roope Riski. They won all their three matches so far and they are qualified for the next stage with two matches in advance.
Lautoka suffered many blow during the transfer window as they lost some key players like Beniaminio Mateinaqara, Samuela Drudru and Benjamin Totori while there are some reports that Dave Radrigai almost left the team as well. People have been questioning about what would happen to Lautoka after losing so many important players and the answers are being showed in the field.
Radrigai is the only remaining forward from 2019 usual starting eleven as he saw his attacking partners Drudru and Totori leaving the team to join current Vodafone Premier League champions Ba. On the other hand, the Bluez managed to bring new players to team up with Radrigai to keep a good offensive level like Shazil Ali that last played for Ba and Vanuatu international Alex Saniel that came from New Zealand to strengthen Lautoka’s squad.
Bluez could not have a better start. They played two matches and scored twelve goals, six in each game (6-0 against Nasinu and 6-0 against Nadi). Ali, Radrigai and Saniel are having a perfect connection and they scored ten of these twelve goals.
Saniel (left), Radrigai (middle) and Ali (left). Source: Fiji FA Media
The current goal tally is dominated by Lautoka’s forwards. Ali leads the tally with four goals followed by Radrigai and Saniel with three goals each. Atkin Kaua from Nasinu completes the top four with three goals as he scored a hat-trick in the 4-3 loss against Rewa.
The 6-0 win against Nadi at Churchill Park was the last opportunity to watch a Lautoka’s official match before their debut in the 2020 OFC Champions League against Henderson Eels from Solomon Islands that is scheduled to be played on Sunday at Luganville Soccer City Stadium, Vanuatu.
Solomon Islands international Atkin Kaua played his first match for Nasinu this Sunday. He was in the starting eleven against Rewa in the second matchweek of 2020 Vodafone Premier League, the top-tier of Fijian football.
He scored his first goal in a penalty kick in the first half and he managed to find the net again before the half time. He had another opportunity to score in the second half and he completed his hat-trick by scoring another penalty kick.
Kaua scored a hat-trick for Nasinu.
This match also marked the debut of Kaua’s countrymen Jared Rongosulia. Despite scoring three goals it was not enough to give the win to Nasinu as they lost to Rewa by 4-3. Nasinu stands in the eighth and last position with two losses in two matches.
The second matchweek of 2020 Vodafone Premier League is over. There were only three matches this weekend once Ba vs Suva clash was postponed. Scroll down and check what happened in the Fijian football’s weekend.
Labasa received Navua at Subrail Park without goalkeeper Akuila Mateisuva who suffered an injury in the opening clash of the 2020 Vodafone Premier League season against Suva. Navua also had another goalkeeper for this match once Rusiate Amasio was not in the squad to face Labasa. Tharkur Narayan was named for Navua’s starting eleven to face the Babasiga Lions.
Lions defensive system was strengthened by Lekima Gonerau that did not play in the opening round against Suva. Siotame Kubu was the hero of the day by scoring a brace to seal the 2-0 win for Babasiga Lions. It was an important result for Labasa as they lost to Suva by 2-1 in the debut.
Siotame Kubu scored twice to give Labasa the win. Source: FFA Media
Nadi visited Lautoka at Churchill Park as both teams were looking for the second win in two matches. Defender Arami Manumanubai and goalkeeper Joela Biuvanua made their debuts for Lautoka while former Ba midfielder Avinesh Swamy played his first ever match for Nadi.
Dave Radrigai found the net in a well taken penalty kick after a handball by Nadi’s defender Josua Tawake to score his third goal in two matches and give the lead for the Bluez in the 24th minute. Vanuatu international Alex Saniel increased Lautoka’s lead with a goal in the final minutes of the first half.
It was not Josua Tawake’s day. The 28-year-old player saw the yellow card for the second time in the match and he was sent off in the first minute of the second half. Lautoka had no mercy as Navneel Nand extended the lead to 3-0 right after Tawake’s expulsion and Shazil Ali netted the fourth, the fifth and the sixth goals to seal a hat-trick. Ali is now the current league top scorer with four goals in two matches.
The final score was 6-0 for Lautoka which means that the Bluez scored twelve goals in two matches as they won Nasinu by 6-0 in the opening round.
Shazil Ali scored a hat-trick in Lautoka’s win. Source: FFA Media
Nasinu received Rewa at Ratu Cakobau Park, Nausori. This match marked the debut of Solomon Islands internationals Atkin Kaua and Jared Rongosulia for Nasinu. Rewa did not count on goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau for this match and he was replaced by Senirusi Bokini.
It was the debutants’ afternoon in Nausori as France Catarogo opened the scoreboard for Rewa while Atkin Kaua scored a penalty kick to equalize. However Nasinu’s could not hold the 1-1 for so long because Tevita Waranaivalu found the net for the Delta Tigers right after Kaua’s goal. Nasinu still had time to score a second goal in the first half through Atkin Kaua.
The Solomon Islands international was on fire and he scored his third goal in the match to give the lead to Nasinu in the second half but Epeli Valevou netted a brace in the final minutes to seal Rewa’s 4-3 win.
Solomon Islands international Atkin Kaua had a marvelous debut for Nasinu. Source: SIFF Media
You can check the current standings and the top scorers by clicking here.
The weekend of football in New Zealand had surprising results that changed the table. Despite of the big effort of Tasman and Wellington Phoenix Reserves, both sides could not avoid a defeat against Team Wellington and Auckland City, respectively. The spotlight of the round goes for Waitakere United that could stop the winning-streak of Eastern Suburbs and clinch the third spot in the ladder so far in the season.
Sam Burfoot scored a late winner for Waitakere – ESAFC Media
A very tight contest in the Auckland derby between Waitakere United and Eastern Suburbs thrilled the round, being the opener of the weekend of football in ISPS Handa Premiership. Both sides battling at the top of the table and coming from very good wins in their last matches.
Eastern Suburbs had chances to score in the initial part of the game, with the good attacking trio Martín Bueno, Adam Thurston and Leon van den Hoven. Despite the Lilywhites efforts, it was Waitakere United who took the lead at the 82th minute of play through the great-performer so far in the season Sam Burfoot. The goal came just after Waitakere was reduced to 10-men – Luck Searle received a second yellow card, but his side could grab a surprising lead.
The six minutes of additional time made the Waitakere United fans hold their breath, but they could get a relief when Kelvin Kalua was sent off by the referee, levelling the things in the pitch putting the both sides with ten players each. Waitakere could hold their lead until the final whistle, winning one of the most important games of the season so far and getting the 3rd place in the run over Eastern Suburbs.
Xavier Pratt scored from the penalty spot for Hamilton Wanderers
Both Hamilton and Southern were coming from defeats in their previous matches – the teams were looking to recover themselves in the table, but they could not celebrate a win tonight, thanks to a late equalizer of the Dunedin-based side.
Xavier Pratt put the home side upfront in the second half after Hamilton was awarded a penalty kick. The midfielder was composed and put their side upfront already in the final moments of the clash, but Hamilton could not hold their lead: in the 93th minute of the match, the Irish striker Garbhan Coughlan was finally back to his goalscoring ways and put his side leveled in the scoresheet, to share the points with the team coached by Kale Herbert at Porrit Stadium.
Ahinga Selemani scored his 9th goal of the season for Hawke’s Bay
After some bad games, Hawke’s Bay United found the path to the win again: the Napier-based side club took on Canterbury United at Bluewater Stadium and could get closer to the top-for with a hard fought in front of their home supporters.
The North-American talented striker Ahinga Selemani put his side upfront in the first half; scoring his goal of number nine of the season so far. Selemani’s goal was the difference between both sides at the break, but in the second half the youngster Jorge Akers found the nets to double his team lead against the Dragons.
Ben Stroud reduced the deficit for Canterbury, but it was not enough to start a reaction and the team coached by Lee Padmore saw themselves once again defeated. The situation is really not good for Canterbury, as they keep at the bottom of the rankings with just nine points in the process.
Jack Henry-Sinclair scored again from the spot kick for Team Welly
Team Wellington was not expecting an easy contest against Tasman in David Farrington Park. Despite the win, the team had to fight hard to surpass the Nelson-based club that is doing a good season so far, even with the defeat in the round.
The start of the game was sublime for Team Welly: Jack Henry-Sinclair scored again for the penalty spot as he did in the previous weekend to put his side ahead. The defender Taylor Schrijvers put his side with a 2-0 comfortable lead with a goal after a free-kick.
Still in the first half, the goalkeeper Scott Basalaj was forced to stop many shots coming from the Tasman’s attack led by the New Caledonian international Jean-Philippe Saïko. The pressure paid off, as Jimmy Wild cut the deficit to give his side something to celebrated before the break.
The goal of the North-Irish full back Rory McKeown gave final numbers to the clash; 3-1, but Team Wellington still had to battle against Tasman offensive players to hold their 2-goal lead.
Clayton Lewis sored the opener for Auckland City – ACFC Media
Auckland City expected to win against Wellington Phoenix Reserves at Kiwitea Street; they won, but they had to fight a lot to seal one more in the league so far – maintaining their six-point lead at the top over Team Wellington.
The All-Whites member Clayton Lewis put his side ahead early in the clash with a shot from low distance. The midfielder Mario Ilich put his side two goals ahead after a good finish from the edge of the box, a shot the WeeNix goalkeeper Oliver Sail did not have a chance to stop.
In the second half the youngster Ben Waine scored a magnificent goal to give his side some hope. Waine is a serious candidate to the ‘Goal of the Season’ in the leage. The 2-1 did not take long to change, as the Argentinian Emiliano Tade scored another for the Navy Blues to restore the two-goal margin.
The experienced defender Ángel Berlanga had a bad moment when he scored an own goal in favour of Phoenix Reserves in the final moments of the game. The young team put some pressure in the final third to get an equalizer, but the Auckland City’s defense could deal with Phoenix attack to award their side with one more win the season.
The departure of the Solomon Islands goalkeeper Anthony Talo comes with a lot of controversy. The player signed for Hekari United with the intention to reinforce the team’s squad for the upcoming OFC Champions League. Talo signed for Hekari in the beginning of January, but his stint at the PNG powerhouse was very short, playing just one match for the team in the PNG National Soccer League and leaving the club before the start of OFC Champions League.
Talo wearing Hekari United training uniforms
The goalkeeper departed to Solomon Islands for visa renewals alongside his countryman Robert Laua; but only the full back Laua returned to Papua New Guinea to represent Hekari. The official departure of the player was released recently.
Oceania Football Center investigated and found out that the player decided to stay in Solomon Islands for family reasons. The player will also have religious commitments in his country in the upcoming weeks, but it does not seem to be the main reason for leaving Hekari United and dropping the chance to play the OFC Champions League. Talo will be representing his country once again at FIFA Futsal World Cup in September, and he wants to switch his focus to Futsal at the moment.
The ITC (International Transfer Certificate) of the player is still with Hekari United and he is still tied up with the club. Hekari has all rights to ask for transfer fees to release the player to another club in the near future, as the club already bought his return ticket and working visa in Papua New Guinea.
The Lae City FC squad for 2020 OFC Champions League was announced. The 18-men list was released in the club’s official account on Facebook. Some key players like Raymond Gunemba and Nigel Dabinyaba are confirmed in the squad. You can check the full squad by clicking here.
Vergara (left) and Aguirre (right) are confirmed in Lae’s squad for 2020 OFC Champions League. Source: PNGFA Media
Lae City will debut on next Sunday against Henderson Eels from Solomon Islands. They are currently in the second position in the 2019-20 PNG National Soccer League.
The Samoan international Vito Laloata is proving his quality in Papua New Guinea; the forward scored his first goal for Hekari United in order to help his team to beat Morobe United by 2-0 in the 7th round of PNG National Soccer League, in a match played in Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium, Lae.
The Samoan Gem, as the 23-year-old is being called by the fans, scored the first goal of the contest and played the entire 90 minutes for the first time in the season. Vito Laloata signed recently for Hekari coming from the Samoan top-league side Lupe o le Soaga.
Laloata in his debut against Tusbab Stallions – PNGFA Media
The player already recorded two assists in his previous games against Tusbab Stallions and Kutubu – creating one goal in each of the matches played.
The Samoan Gem scored already three times for his national team and he keeps impressing the fans and staff in his first semi-professional stint in Papua New Guinean football.
The Islanders Observer is back! After eight episodes talking about the foreign players from Pacific Islands that are currently playing the 2019-20 ISPS Handa Premiership season, Oceania Football Center crosses the world to talk about Oceanian players who are living the American Dream by playing the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament, the main soccer league at College level in the United States of America.
There are dozens of Oceanian players in the USA but this episode will talk about a midfielder from Papua New Guinean who is playing in America since 2018: Gimale Essacu.
Essacu is a 22-year-old midfielder who has already played two seasons for Western Illinois Leathernecks in the Summit League, one of the 24 conferences that are part of NCAA Division I.
Essacu playing for Leathernecks in 2019.
The Leathernecks did not have a very good year as they won only five of nineteen matches in 2019. Papua New Guinean Gimale Essacu was an active player throughout the season but not a key player in the squad. He played 12 matches in 2019 and delievered two assists. This is a good sign of evolution and we can expect a good 2020 season from him as he is having more gametime and playing in a decent level.
Oceania Football Center 