It’s do or die: Fiji and Papua New Guinea play their FIFA World Cup hopes

There are not more excuses for Fijians and Papuan New Guineans in Qatar: it is do or die. If they want to keep their dream alive to travel back to Qatar but this time by the end of the team to a historic first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance, they just can not fail now – only one of the two sides will keep its hopes alive.

The Fijians started on a high in the qualifying process: Sairusi Nalaubu star shone bright as the Lautoka’s frontman scored a brace to secure a win for his nation against New Caledonia in their opener. Scoring early in the match was great for the Fijians that opted to counter-attack strategy as they were up in the scoreline – the choice proved not effective as they allowed Jordan Wétria to score the equaliser for New Caledonia. The team coached by Flemming Serritslev pushed forward once again and found the winner just before the final whistle thanks to a superb header from Nalaubu after a classy cross coming from team captain Roy Krishna.

Differently from Fiji, the Kapuls were unable to stop New Zealand and fell short by 1-0 after conceding in the second half. The Papua New Guineans fought hard but could not get a positive result against the heavy favourites. But their luck changed against New Caledonia – they ended-up winning with a brilliant goal of the star-striker Tommy Semmy.

The good moment of the Bula Boys just got finished when they faced New Zealand; the 4-0 defeat was too heavy for them and put the Fijians in a bad situation for their decisive game against Papua New Guinea: they must win. A draw means the team coached by Marcos Gusmão will proceed to the next stage while the Fijians will be knocked-out.

Tommy Semmy and Roy Krishna to lead their teams for a spot in the next stage of WCQ – OFC Media

A very strong and physical team, Fiji will expect to rely on the quality of its captain Roy Krishna and its prominent striker Nalaubu. The long throws of Ashnil Raju can also be very dangerous for the PNG’s defensive system led by Alwin Komolong.

The Tommy Semmy’s qualities will be a key factor for Papua New Guinea; if the Altona Magic’s player is a good day the possibilites of a win for his country are very high. The eexperience of players such as Daniel Joe and Raymond Gunemba can also be very important for Papua New Guinea.

Both Marcos Gusmão for the Kapuls and Flemming Serritslev for the Bula Boys will have to settle their strategies, motivate its players and unite the troops for their most important game so far in this tournament.

Solomon Islands and Tahiti to battle for first place at Group A of WCQ

After both Vanuatu and Cook Islands were forced out of the OFC World Cup Qualifiers due a COVID-19 outbreak in their squads, Solomon Islands and Tahiti – the remaining teams that composes the Group A of the qualyfing tournament – were awarded the spots directly to the semifinal stage. The 2-0 win of Solomon Islands against the Cook Islands in the first matchday of the tournament will not count for the group standings, as mentioned by the Oceania Football Confederation, since Cook Islands were forced to withdrew from the competition. Although, the match will count for the FIFA Rankings.

With only two teams remaining in the process, both Tahiti and Solomon Islands will have a decisive encounter to determine which of the two sides will top the group this Thursday (24th March). Despite both teams already granted a spot in the decisive part of the competition, this match means a lot for their aspirations to qualify for the intercontinental playoff: the winner will avoid New Zealand – that is likely to finish at the top of Group B – in the semifinals. Undoubtely, the All Whites are the heavy favourites to win the qualifying tournament and meeting them at the semifinal stage is something certainly both sides would like to keep away from.

The Confederation also stated that this match will be played in a playoff format – if no winner is observed during the 90 minutes, extra-time will be played and if the match still continues levelled a penalty shoot-out will take place.

Solomon Islands line-up against Cook Islands – OFC Media

This match will be the first for the Tahitians in the tournament; the team coached by Samuel Garcia had a good preparation process in France before arriving in Qatar. The team captained by Teaonui Tehau may be missing some game time in comparison to Solomon Islands – that played against Cook Islands despite the match being null for the tournament after the their withdrawal as explained above.

The team captain of Solomon Islands is probrably the most known player of the team coached by the Spaniard Felipe Vega-Arango; Micah Lea’alafa, a former Auckland City star player, is convinced this is the best national team group he has ever played for Solomon Islands and will be sharing the star-status alongside the wonderkid Raphael Lea’i.

The fans of Oceania football can watch the match live on Eleven Sports platform – be sure the check the kick-off time in your region by visiting the website.

Sami and Cavuilagi to miss decisive match against Papua New Guinea

The Fiji Football Association announced very bad news for the fans of the Bula Boys; two players are set to miss the most important match so far for the Fijians. The Rewa’s Kishan Sami and Lautoka’s Sitiveni Cavuilagi will not be available for the head coach Flemming Serritslev against Papua New Guinea. Sami was a starter in both matches for Fiji, while Cavuilagi only started against New Caledonia, being an unused substitute in the second match against New Zealand.

Kishan Sami and Sitiveni Cavuilagi are injured – FFA Media

Fiji needs to beat the Kapuls this Thursday (24th March) to proceed to the semifinals – the Papua New Guineans only need a draw to qualify. The Fijians won New Caledonia by 2-1 in their first match and lost to New Zealand by 4-0, while Papua New Guinea lost by 1-0 to New Zealand in their opener and won New Caledonia by 1-0 – the goal difference stands on Papua New Guinea side allowing them to only draw to proceed to the semifinals.

Chris Wood makes history as New Zealand beats Fiji in the WCQ

New Zealand and Fiji clashed on Sunday in the second round of OFC World Cup qualifiers at the Qatar SC Stadium. The All Whites were overwhelming favorites for the match and made sure to show it on the pitch by dominating the actions from the first minute of the game.

The first chance came with Chris Wood in the sixth minute after a good cross by Ben Waine – the Newcastle striker headed and Fijian defender Atonio Tuivuna cleared the ball close to the goal line.

The All Whites continued to press their opponents and they almost scored when Chris Wood took advantage after Remueru Tekiate‘s mistake. Marko Stamenic also had an opportunity to score when his shot hit the post in the 24th minute.

In the 44th minute Clayton Lewis found Chris Wood in the box on a perfect free-kick, the striker headed it home to tie Vaughan Coveny as the highest scorer in the history of the New Zealand National Team – but it did not last long.

Chris Wood continues to make history with the New Zealand national team – NZ Football

In the second half, the All Whites continued to put Fiji against the wall and they managed to score two goals in a row. The first one was netted by Elijah Just while Chris Wood scored his second goal of the day to become the national team’s all-time leading scorer. In the 75th minute, Sairusi Nalaubu had a chance to score for Fiji, but Oli Sail saved it.

Elijah Just vs Antonio Tuivuna – NZ Football

After making a series of substitutions, New Zealand still had a penalty awarded by the referee. Clayton Lewis took the penalty and scored his first ever goal for New Zealand at senior level – the fourth and last for his side in the match. You can check all the four goals of the contest by clicking here.

New Zealand’s next match will be against New Caledonia while Fiji will meet Papua New Guinea in a do-or-die match to decide a spot in the semifinals. The Kapuls have the advantage of a draw – so the Bula Boys need a win to advance.

Tommy Semmy scores as Papua New Guinea defeat New Caledonia in WCQ

Papua New Guinea defeated New Caledonia by 1-0 at Qatar SC Stadium in Doha with a goal scored by Tommy Semmy in the first minutes of the game.

After losing in the opening round of FIFA World Cup Qualififers, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia clashed in the second matchday of the tournament in a do-or-die match for both sides.

The team coached by Marcos Gusmão came to this match with four changes in the starting eleven: Emmanuel Airem, Kolu Kepo, Michael Foster and Stahl Gubag replaced Koriak Upaiga, Ati Kepo, David Muta and Raymond Gunemba, respectively.

On the other hand, New Caledonia’s head coach Dominique Wacalié has made five changes to his starting line-up: César Zeoula, Georges Gope-Fenepej, Joris Kenon, Joseph Athalé and Mickael Ulile made their way into the starting eleven, while Cédric Decoire, Joël Wakanumuné, Pierre Bako, Rocky Nyikeine and Titouan Richard had to watch the kick-off from the bench.

The first scoring opportunity of the game came in the fourth minute, when New Caledonian forward Jordan Wetria’s shot was stopped by Ronald Warisan. Three minutes later, Tommy Semmy found the net to open the scoreboard for Papua New Guinea, after his shot was deflected by New Caledonia’s captain Emile Béaruné.

Tommy Semmy scored the winning goal for Papua New Guinea – OFC Media

With one goal in advantage, Papua New Guinea tried to keep possession, as New Caledonia started to play more vertically, trying to exploit the space behind their opponent’s defensive line. Daniel Joe, Felix Komolong, Alwin Komolong and Emmanuel Airem were doing a great defensive job with a well organized offside trap.

The team coached by Dominique Wacalié had a huge chance to equalize in the 21st minute – when Papua New Guinean offisde trap failed. Morgan Mathelon advanced between two defenders and was face to face with the opposing goalkeeper, but his shot went wide.

Things became more exciting in the second half as New Caledonia began to attack even more searching for an equalizer. The Cagous managed to keep more possession while Papua New Guinea started to struggle defensively. Both teams had opportunities to score but poor finising prevented both sides to find the net. New Caledonia’s situation got worse in the final minutes of the game when Jean-Luc Decoiré saw a red card in the 87th minute.

Tommy Semmy still had a great opportunity to score again in the final moments of the clash, but he missed the target. At the final whistle the score was 1-0 in favor of Papua New Guinea. You can check the winning goal scored by Semmy by clicking here.

Both teams come back to the field on Thursday. Papua New Guinea will face Fiji at Al-Arabi Stadium while the New Caledonian side will be looking for a miracle against New Zealand to advance to the semi-finals.

Preview: OFC World Cup Qualifiers – Round 2

The second matchday of OFC World Cup Qualifiers begins today with two clashes from Group B, as both matches of Group A were cancelled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Cook Islands and Vanuatu delegations.

NEW ZEALAND VS FIJI

New Zealand and Fiji will meet for the first time since 2017. The All Whites have excellent news with the arrivals of Chris Wood, Elijah Just, Callum McCowatt, Marko Stamenic and Nando Pijnaker. Another player who arrived in Doha is Wellington Phoenix’s defender Tim Payne.

Fiji defeated New Caledonia by 2-1 in the opening round of the tournament. The Bula Boys hope to break New Zealand’s unbeaten streak. Fiji’s head coach Flemming Serritslev is expected to keep the same starting eleven.

Serritslev relies on the creativity of Roy Krishna who played as an attacking midfielder against New Caledonia. Besides Krishna, Sairusi Nalaubu has to be on a great day to break through All Whites defense.

New Zealand vs Fiji World Cup 2018 qualifiers – OFC Media

The All Whites are favorites to win, while the Fijian squad wants to make history by defeating New Zealand just like they did in 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Roy Krishna scored two goals in that match.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA VS NEW CALEDONIA

Both sides lost in the opening round, so it is a do or die game for them. Papua New Guinea’s head coach Marcos Gusmão sidelined Koriak Upaiga, David Muta, Ati Kepo and Raymond Gunemba for this game as Emmanuel Airem, Michael Foster, Kolu Kepo and Stah Gubag are expected to be in the starting eleven.

New Caledonia vs Fiji in World Cup Qualifying – OFC Media

In New Caledonia, meanwhile, there are doubts if Georges Gope-Fenepej and César Zeoula will be available for the match while Wesley Lautoa is ruled out of the qualifiers. Richard Sele and Jean-Philippe Saiko are two players who might happen to make the starting eleven against Fiji.

Both matches are going to be livestreamed on Eleven Sports.

Sairusi Nalaubu shines as Fiji defeats New Caledonia in Doha

Fiji and New Caledonia clashed last friday in Doha and the Bula Boys earned three important points aiming the semifinals of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

The team coached by Flemming Serritslev opened the scoreboard in the first minutes of the game when Sairusi Nalaubu found the net after stealing the ball from New Caledonia’s defender Joel Wakanumune.

Sairusi Nalaubu (right) celebrating his goal – OFC Media

Fiji managed to keep the advantage until the second half when New Caledonian forward Jordan Wetria arose between two Fijian defenders in the 78th minute to head the ball into the net to equalize.

The game was heading towards its end when Roy Krishna, on a free-kick, found the head of Sairusi Nalaubu who scored his second goal of the day to put his side ahead again. At the final whistle the score was 2-1 in favor of Fiji. You can watch the goals by clicking here.

Both teams come back to the pitch on Monday. New Caledonia will face Papua New Guinea while the Fijian side is going to have a tough challenge against New Zealand.

Cook Islands and Vanuatu out of FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Ben Mata in the Grand Hamad Stadium tunnel – OFC Media

Vanuatu and the Cook Islands are out of the World Cup qualifiers. According to local resources, both sides had a large number of positive cases of COVID-19 in their squads which forced them to leave the tournament.

It was reported by Vanuatu Football Federation that the vast majority of their players and officials have tested positive for COVID-19, evidenced by a PCR Test. Also, the tournament regulation states that a match cannot be contested if a team does not have 14 available players.

The Cook Islands also had several positive cases of COVID-19 after the match against Solomon Islands which makes them unable to play against Tahiti this weekend.

Solomon Islands and Tahiti advance to the semifinals and must decide between themselves who finishes first in their group.

New Zealand beats Papua New Guinea with controversial goal

Papua New Guinea and New Zealand took the field on Friday, March 18th, in the first round of Group A of the World Cup qualifiers.

New Zealand still without their key players who are with their clubs in Europe, and the Kapuls could not count on David Browne, who did not get permission from the PNG immigration department.

In the beginning of the match PNG started pressing New Zealand high and making it difficult for the All Whites to get the ball out – just as their coach Marcos Gusmão had promised.

Kostas Barbarouses vs Tommy Semmy – NZ Football

After the first 20 minutes New Zealand took control of the game. The first big chance came from Andre De Jong, a cross from the right from Barbarouses, the number 14 deflected the ball and it passed near the post of Warisan.

Ati Kepo had to leave injured in the first half. Kolu Kepo stepped into his place – in the position where David Browne should be playing if able to play.

At 34 minutes Warisan had to intervene for New Zealand not to take the lead, Howieson passed to Dalton Wilikins who gave a beautiful dribble in Daniel Joe and crossed for Matt Garbett only not to score because of the excellent save of the PNG goalkeeper.

In the second half New Zealand again dictated the rhythm of the match and created the best chances – in a corner kick taken by Clayton Lewis in the 51st minute, Warisan was off his goal and Joe Champness headed the ball with the goal free, luckily Daniel Joe saved the ball on the goal line.

Soon after, the Kapuls were dealt a heavy blow when David Muta left injured – making way for the debut of Yagi Yasasa.

Clayton Lewis – OFC Media

In the 60th minute Papua New Guinea’s big chance of the game, Gunemba played a back heel for Daniel Joe to cross and Kolu Kepo headed the ball just off target. This was Papua New Guinea’s best chance of the match.

Within 15 minutes left in the game, the controversy started: Garbett’s quick free-kick to Dane Ingham found Ben Waine free in the box to score what proved to be the winner for New Zealand.

Despite the controversy and the appealing of Papua New Guinean players, the play seemed to be under the rules and goal was correctly given.

Ben Waine celebrating his goal – NZ Football

Even after the goal New Zealand still had a chance to score with Logan Rogerson heading the ball in off the post. Matt Garbett – New Zealand’s best player of the match – had a medium range shot that hit the post again. Ronald Warisan saved Papua New Guinea again at the final minutes of the game saving a header coming from Niko Boxall.

Despite the defeat, the Kapuls made New Zealand work hard to get the win. It must be highlighted the brilliant performance of the Komolong brothers at the heart of the defense playing a key role for their national team.

New Zealand next match is against Fiji, while Papua New Guinea face New Caledonia seeking for a good result in order to keep their chances of progression to the semifinals alive.

Solomon Islands beat Cook Islands in the opening game of the World Cup qualifiers

Solomon Islands and Cook Islands faced each other today – 17th March – in a World Cup qualifier. It was the return of the Cook Islands team to official matches after 7 years.

For all the circumstances involving the two teams the Solomon Islands were the favorites for the match and they had to show it on the field.

Solomon Islands and Cook Islands clashed in the opening match of the tournament

In the first few minutes the Solomon Islands had a hard time breaking through the Cook Islands blockade, tactically very well put together by Alan Taylor who, even with little time to work with the players, managed to leave a very compact defense, Ben Mata who was the captain of the national team had an impressive performance as well as his teammates in defense.

The first goal for Solomon Islands came in the 20th minute when Raphael Le’ai had a rare opportunity in the 1v1, after dribbling around the left side he crossed, Joses Nawo missed the shot, but the ball was left for Atkin Kaua to pick up and make it 1-0 to the Bonitos.

Even with the goal, the Cook Islands team didn’t lose their poise and continued to defend very well. The second goal for the Solomon Islands only came in stoppage time after a fast counterattack caught the Cook Islands defense off guard, Joses Nawo found Micah Lea’alafa who passed to Alvin Hou, who shot straight at Elikana.

Alvin Hou still owes two more chances to score, but ultimately fails. Micah Lea’alafa led the offensive actions very well, retaining the ball well, dribbling, a true maestro.

At the start of the second half Cook Islands even tried to apply some pressure and almost managed to score from a set piece on a free-kick with Taylor Saghabi finishing and the ball being cut off midway into the goal.

Solomon Islands players celebrating the first goal

In the end the Solomon Islands prevailed but Cook Islands’ performance deserves a great deal of attention. The future of group A is still uncertain as the match between Tahiti and Vanuatu was cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Vanuatu camp.