Oceania Football Center

Tahiti: AS Pirae hammers AS Dragon to confirm OFC Champions League group stage spot

AS Pirae and AS Dragon played the second leg of the national-playoffs this Saturday (25th Feb) in the capital of French Polynesia, Papeete, to decide who would represent Tahiti in the group stage of the OFC Champions League.

Pirae had the advantage as they had won the first game 2-0 last week, and inside the field they gave no chance to Dragon who could do little in the match. The current top-placed side of the Ligue 1 were heavily beaten.

AS Pirae opened the scoring early in the 13th minute with Jacques Tetauira on a shot from outside the box after an excellent transitional play – AS Dragon did not have much time to react, three minutes later after a free-kick was taken at the wall, the ball was switched to captain Heimano Bourebare who hit the goal with a powerful long-range shot scoring the second for his team – 2-0 to Pirae with less than 20 minutes played.

Before the break AS Pirae eliminated any chances for the Dragons to seek a reaction; at the 40th minute after a beautiful cross from Yohann Tihoni, Jacques Tetauira scored another after a beautiful header.

AS Pirae players celebrating the second goal – *AS Pirae Media*

AS Pirae’s show continued after the break, at the 50th minute Yohann Tihoni won the ball from two defenders and shot from outside the box past Anapa Debruyne to score the fourth goal.

Pirae scored again with Jacques Tetauira in the 66th minute who took advantage of a defensive breakdown to complete his hat-trick. Almost immediately afterwards the top scorer of Ligue 1 Tahitian Roonui Tiniarauarii scored the first goals for AS Dragon.

AS Pirae still scored twice more with Belgian Désiré Ngiamba and French-Taitian Benoit Mathon. Gervais Chan Kat scored again for AS Dragon to make the final score 7-3. You can watch the highlights of the match by clicking here.

AS Dragon now turn their energies to the Tahitian Ligue 1 while AS Pirae will split their attention with the two tournaments, the team of Tahitian legend Raimoana Bennett is one of the favorites to reach the final of the tournament after two incredible performances.

A-League: Brian Kaltak sees another questionable red card; his third of the season

The Central Coast Mariners, Brian Kaltak‘s club in Australia, had a very tight contest against New Zealand-based side Wellington Phoenix in Gosford this Friday (24th Feb) – the final result was a 1-1 draw; New Zealand international duo Storm Roux and James McGarry combined for the first goal of the Mariners – Roux crossed and McGarry with a first touch finish found the nets of Oliver Sail. The Wellington Phoenix managed to find a late equaliser thanks to a goal of the Polish striker Oskar Zawada at stoppage time.

But the spotlight of the match came once again to Brian Kaltak; this time in a negative way. The Vanuatu international tackled English striker David Ball, he caught the ball at first, slided it over and touched the leg of the Phoenix’s player. The referee does not waste time and shown a direct red card for Kaltak – his third of the season, the most of any player in the league so far. You can see the exact moment of the red card by clicking here.

The referee possibly understood the play as high tackle by Kaltak, although the Ni-Vanuatu 29-year-old player caught the firstly – making the red card a very harsh decision from the referee. Many Mariners were unhappy with the decision of the referee on social media; the Brazilian striker Matheus Moresche was also sent-off, reducing Mariners to finish the game with only nine players.

Kaltak sees another red card – *A-League Media*

Kaltak saw a red recently on 4th February against Sydney FC – that was also very controversial. The Vanuatu national team captain was sent-off in a match against Macarthur FC last November. All of the three red cards were shown directely.

Despite the dissapointment, Mariners still sits second on the A-League’s table as they are impressing in the season so far. Their next match is scheduled to be played on Saturday 4th March against Western Sydney Wanderers – that Kaltak will not be taking part as will be serving his third game of suspension in this season.

Solomon Islands international Ali Mekawir scores against China U-23

The former Waneagu United striker Ali Mekawir is playing his trade currently in United Arab Emirates; he is currently attached to TFA Dubai and he recently scored his first competitive goal for his new team. The striker did not waste time to find the nets again; this time the Solomon Islander scored against China U-23 national team that played a friendly match against his team – Mekawir opened the score for TFA. You can watch his goal by clicking here.

The Chinese is preparing towards the Asian Games and unfortunately for Mekawir’s side, the match ended up in a 4-1 win for the Chinese; but certainly this is an important achivement for the 22-year-old player that already made history turning himself into the first ever Solomon Islander to score a goal in English FA Cup.

Prior to his experience in England, the striker also played in Australia’s National Premier League side Adelaide City. After his stint in Australia, Mekawir represented Solomon Islands national team in the FIFA OFC World Cup qualifying tournament. This week the national team head coach, the Spaniard Felipe Vega-Arango, announced a provisional squad heading for the upcoming friendly matches for the Solomon Islands, Ali Mekawir was included in the list of the head coach.

Dominant Lupe o le Soaga puts seven past Tupapa Maraerenga to confirm OFC Champions League berth

The match between Lupe o le Soaga and Tupapa Maraerenga was a crucial decider to determine which team would qualify for the OFC Champions League to be held in Vanuatu in May. The Samoan champions were clearly the dominant team on the field, winning the match with an impressive scoreline of 7-1.

Lupe started strong and opened the scoring at the 23rd minute through English striker Jared Cunniff. However, the team suffered a setback when Andrew Setefano was sent off after receiving his second yellow card for his involvement in a brawl on the pitch. Despite being reduced to ten men, Lupe managed to hold onto their lead until halftime.

In the second half, Lupe continued to dominate the game and capitalized on their numerical advantage. Darren Talilai scored the second goal of the match, taking advantage of the rebound from Tupapa’s goalkeeper. Jamie Mason added another goal to Lupe’s tally after Tupapa’s goalkeeper gifted him a goal.

The substitute Lawrie Letutusa scored Lupe’s fourth goal with a brilliant assist from the wonderkid Michael Tumua Leo, who later scored his seventh goal of the tournament to make it 5-0 for the home team. Tupapa Maraerenga managed to score a consolation goal after a lapse in concentration from Lupe’s defense with a strong finish from Silas Trego, but it was too little too late.

Cunniff scored his second goal of the match after a fantastic individual play, beating two defenders to score Lupe’s sixth goal of the match. Arona Matau, who came on as a substitute, scored the final goal of the game at the 93rd minute to seal Lupe’s dominant 7-1 win over Tupapa Maraerenga.

Lupe o le Soaga players, staff and supporters celebrate the win – *Lupe o le Soaga SC Media*

The Samoans’ coach, Paul Ualesi, must be pleased with his team’s performance, especially after playing with ten men for more than half of the match. The victory has secured Lupe o le Soaga’s place in the OFC Champions League, and they will be hoping to continue their impressive form in the upcoming tournament.

Solomon Islands star Raphael Lea’i close to profissional debut in Europe

Solomon Islands’ man of the moment Raphael Lea’i might be close to achieve another huge milestone: the 19-year-old striker is set to make his professional debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s side FK Velež Mostar. The club is scheduled to play this Sunday (26th Feb) against Tuzla City as the M:tel Premier League, as the top-tier league of the country is known, returns to action.

Recently, Oceania Football Center stated the player was not cleared for the first competitive match of the year for his new team as some paperwork was still to be fixed. But the bureaucratic matters were met as today the Solomon Islands Football Federation announced they successfully completed the transfer paperwork and the deal is complete, making the player eligible to be registered for the Mostar-based side.

Raphael Lea’i singing his first professional contract – *FK Velež Mostar Media*

“Solomon Islands international Raphael Lea’i International Transfer Certificate (ITC) has been delivered this morning by SIFF in the FIFA TMS online platform after a week of administrative work behind the scenes between the Bosina and Herzegovina club FK Velez with Marist FC and Henderson Eels for the player’s release and first professional registration in Europe“, said the football entity on a social media post, – “This means Lea’i is now cleared to register for FK Velez in the Premier League BH and should be available to play on Sunday 26 February against Tuzla City“, concluded SIFF media on social media release.

Lea’i has been getting worldwide attention as he turned into the first ever Solomon Islander to break through European football and sign a professional contract. An entire nation is supporting Raphael Lea’i as well the South Pacific brotherhood and Oceania football fans worldwide.

OFC Champions League qualifying stage: Veitongo and Ilaoa & To’omata is cancelled

The second match of the day (24th Feb) in Apia counting for the OFC Champions League qualifying stage between Veitongo from Tonga and Ilaoa & To’omata from American Samoa has been cancelled.

According to multiple sources linked to the clubs, the bad weather conditions forced the match to be called off; the decisive encounter between Tupapa Maraerenga from Cook Islands and Lupe o le Soaga from Samoa will be played at 3pm local time.

The decision is said to be taken in order to preserve the pitch conditions for the match between the Samoan and Cook Islander teams that will confirm which of the two sides will book their flights to Vanuatu for the OFC Champions League group stage.

Both Veitongo and Ilaoa & To’omata are already out of chances to proceed to the group stage as both teams lost their two first matches in the competition.

Solomon Islands calls provisional squad for upcoming friendly matches

Solomon Islands Football Federation announced a list of 31 players for a provisional squad for the upcoming friendly matches in the next FIFA window – the Bonitos are set to play three friendly matches in Lautoka, Fiji against the hosts, the Fiji U-20 side and Vanuatu national team. You can check the full list by clicking here.

“The players are selected from the TSL 2022/2023 season. Five overseas players who are available to represent the country next week in Lautoka are also drafted in the squad“, said SIFF in its social media post release – “This is a opportunity for the coaches to look at the players and how they compete in international football leading up to the Pacific Games on home turf in November. The door is still open for other players to be part of the extended squad in preparation for the Pacific Games 2023 and the coaching staff will continue to assess player’s performance in the country and abroad” also was mentioned.

Felipe Vega-Arango, Solomon Islands national team head coach – *SIFF Media*

18 players started training sessions in Honiara as soon as the Telekom S-League finished under the guidance of the Spanish head coach Felipe Vega-Arango. The national team head coach also spoke to SIFF Media in an interview about the undergoing trainings and players’ availability – watch the interview here.

Also in interview to local newspaper, Arango mentioned he will cut the list to 23 players before travelling to Fiji: “We are going to travel with 23 players in total. Out of the 23, three players are already in Fiji. So only 17 players will be travelling from Solomon Islands to Fiji because our three players that are currently in Fiji have confirmed to join the team. If Prince confirms his national duty then we will be travelling to Fiji with only 16 players. Prince is playing really good in Vanuatu for Galaxy FC, so I think he will be joining the team as well“, the coach also expressed interest to count on Ali Mekawir in the team: “We also had a conversation with Ali Mekawir in Dubai and he also wants to be part of the team“, he added.

OFC Champions Legue: Nabenia saves the day for Rewa as he scores last minute equaliser against Suva

In an exciting and closely contested match at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, Suva and Rewa drew 1-1 in the OFC Champions League national play-off. Both teams fought hard for a win, but ultimately had to settle with a draw.

The first half of the game was largely uneventful, with both teams struggling to create clear chances. However, the game came to life in the second half, with Suva taking the lead in the 61st minute through a well-placed shot by Azariah Soromon, the Vanuatu international striker. Soromon had been a constant threat throughout the game, and he finally found the back of the net with a powerful strike that left Rewa goalkeeper stranded.

However, Suva could not defende their lead until the final whistle as Rewa refused to give up and continued to push forward in search of an equaliser. In the dying moments of the game, a cross from the right wing hit the post, and the ball rebounded towards Samuela Nabenia, who made no mistake in slotting it home to level the scores at 1-1.

Rewa and Suva players battling for the ball – *Fiji FA Media*

The goal was a huge relief for Rewa, who had been trailing for most of the second half, and it sparked wild celebrations among the team and their fans. Suva, on the other hand, were left to rue missed opportunities as they failed to hold on to their lead and secure a win.

It was a hard-fought and entertaining game between two evenly matched teams. Both sides can take heart from their performances, but will need to improve if they hope to progress further in the OFC Champions League.

On Sunday (26th Feb) the decisive encounter between the two sides will take place at Ratu Cakobau Park – the winner will seal a spot at OFC Champions League group stage to represent Fiji. The group stage will be played this May in Vanuatu.

Fijian international set to sign for Australian club

Few players from Oceania get a chance to play outside the Pacific Islands, in women’s football this is even rarer, apart from a few exceptions like Kiani Wong, Trina Davis etc. Now a player from Fiji will have this opportunity to raise her career, Vanisha Kumar will sign a one-year contract with Macarthur Rams in the Australian National Premier League.

Vanisha Kumar will join the Australian side in April as reported by local media, before that he will have the opportunity to play in the OFC Women’s Champions League that will take place in Papua New Guinea between March 9th and 17th for Labasa. This is going to be first ever edition of the regional tourmament for women’s football.

Kumar, that was born in Sydney, began playing football at the age of 11. Kumar parents hail from Lautoka. At the age of 15 she had an opportunity to try out for the Australia national team but declined as she was determined to represent her parents’ country.

Vanisha first tournament for Fiji was in 2011; she represented the country as well in the last edition of the OFC Women’s World Cup last year that was hosted in Fiji. The Kulas were beaten in the final match by Papua New Guinea.

FK Beograd’s head coach on Micah Lea’alafa signing: “It was a no brainer to add his quality on the books”

Recently, it was announced the move of Solomon Islands’ international Micah Lea’alafa to Australian football; the 31-year-old joined FK Beograd in Adelaide. The former Auckland City star is going to be a key addition to the team coached by former Vanuatu Football Federation technical director and advisor Joshua Smith. Oceania Football Center talked to new head coach of Lea’alafa about the move of the player and on his expecations for the season alongside his new signing.

“Micah’s been a player I’ve known for many years since he came to Australia to play futsal at Dural Warriors”, said Smith, “I’ve been following his career for many years and when the opportunity came up to sign him it was a no brainer for the club to add his quality on the books” added the Beograd’s head coach.

One of the main reasons Smith decided to pick Micah for the NPL’s South Australia top-tier side was his experience; the striker had played previously in professional environment and also got exposed to FIFA Futsal World Cup four times and also represented New Zealand powerhouse Auckland City at FIFA Club World Cup: “We have a very young and upcoming squad at Beograd this season and I believe Micah’s experience can really help our younger players develop into top footballers“, said the coach.

“We believe we can achieve something special this year; Micah coming into the squad gives us another quality player that can provide goals and assists for the group. The supporters want to be entertained and I believe Micah is the type of player who can do this“, said a hopeful Smith expecting a great season ahead for his side.

The Adeialde-based side was able to recruit important players in the recent seasons, mentions Smith: “Beograd is top environment, it just shows from the quality of players we’ve been able to recruit this season. Brian Kaltak joined us last season and then was signed by the Mariners“. When asked about Beograd being a possible pathway for Pacific Islands’ players to Australian football system, Smith explained: “Having the connection to Vanuatu and the Pacific Islands has definitely help me recruit them, I’m hoping we can keep the pathway going and attract more of the Pacific’s top prospects to South Australia and help them progress further“.

Lea’alafa can make his debut this coming Saturday (25th Feb) against MetroStars; the Solmon Islands’ captain new club started their season with a 1-1 draw last weekend and will hope to add his firepower to record their first season win.