Oceania Football Center

Papua New Guinea: semifinalists confirmed in National Soccer League

The National Soccer League 2022 edition in Papua New Guinea is at its decision time: last weekend eight teams took the pitch in Lae, Goroka and in the capital city Port Moresby. The quarterfinals stage were twice postponed and the completion of the 2022 is going to take place at the starting of 2023.

In Port Moresby the national powerhouse Hekari United did not have any trouble to surpasses the Islands’ Conference representatives Panguna Metals FC, from Bougainville. The team coached by former national team captain David Muta put six past Metals to confirm their favouritism and clinch a 6-0 win to confirm a spot in the semifinals.

The second match in the capital city, Gulf Komara had the favouritism against Kimbe Eagles – and they proved it: Michael Foster, Nigel Dabinyaba and Jordan Kaven scored the three goals of the 3-0 against the Eagles to confirm their spot in the semifinals.

In Lae another important team in the national scenario of Papua New Guinea took the field of play: Lae City had to overcome Kuri FC – and it was a very entertaining match. The challengers scored twice in the first half and the team coached by Bob Morris knew they needed to improve a lot to prevent an unexpected loss. Still in the first half Bruce Tiampo reduced the margin as the first half finished with still Kuri ahead.

But in the second half, Eliud Fugre, Jonathan Allen and Emmanuel Simon from the penalty spot scored for Lae City. Thus, confirming a 4-2 win and securing a spot in the semifinals.

In the Highlands, Ape Aporo hosted Lae Natives in the final match of the quarterfinals. The Lae Natives had to fight, but they confirmed their spot by winning Ape Aporo by 3-1.

As the draw held by PNGFA this Monday (16th Jan) decided the semifinals’ opponents: Gulf Komara will play Hekari United at 12pm and Lae City will play Lae Natives at 3pm – both matches will be played this Wednesday (18th Jan) in the same venue: PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby.

Raphael Lea’i on trial with European professional club

Raphael Lea’i is on his way to Europe. It has been reported that the 19-year-old Solomon Islands’ rising star will spend two months training with FK Velež Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina before going on trial with top flight club in Turkey, Alanyaspor. If successful, he will sign his first professional contract.

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This is the second time Raphael has travelled to Europe to get a chance as a professional footballer. The first, in August last year, had a negative outcome as he was not allowed to enter Turkey due to a visa problem. Now, five months later, he returns to Europe to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

Lea’i is the current top scorer in the 2022-23 Telekom S-League with 21 goals in ten games for Henderson Eels. So far in his career, he has scored 91 goals in 59 games, including his homeland’s domestic league, OFC Champions League and senior appearances for the Solomon Islands National Team.

Tonga’s AJ Inia signs new professional contract in Thailand

AJ Inia is one of the few Tongan players playing outside Oceania, and one of the greatest prospects Tonga has ever had at its disposal. Cases like Laveni Vaka and her sister Daviana playing college soccer in the United States are very rare; as it is for Inia.

Since leaving Thailand’s Trang FC, Inia has been a free agent – having previously played for Cambodia’s Angkor Tiger and National Premier League’s side Melbourne Knights in Australia semi-pro football. As confirmed by AJ Inia in his social media account, he will be playing for Navy FC also from Thailand who play in the third tier of domestic football.

AJ Inia being introduced to his new club

The Oceania Football Center wishes Inia the best in his new journey in Thai football and expects to witness his international debut for Tonga national team at this year’s Pacific Games held in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

Samoa thrashes Tonga as Pharrell Trainor puts on a show in OFC U-17 Championship

Samoa had a very good first half against Tonga in the most recent match of the U-17 OFC Championship; enough to secure them a spot at the quarterfinals. The Samoans scored a total of four goals in the first 45 minutes – confirming their 6-0 win in the second half with more two goals.

The Samoans were always a threat to the Tongan defense: the team captain Pharrell Trainor and the No. 10 Ethlbert Edward were the key players in attack for the team coached by the legend Desmond Richmond Fa’aiuaso. The Tongans were able to cope with the danger, but at the 20th minute the deadlock was open: Trainor had a fantastic individual play and found Edward at the middle of the box to chip it over the goalkeeper to score the first for the Samoans.

Just three minutes later it was Trainor’s turn to the find nets with a fantastic solo effort. Trainor, once again, two minutes later, scored another for his team – he dribbled past the goalkeeper and placed it calmly into the nets. Still in the first half Edward was found free at the edge of the penalty area to put one more past Tongan goalkeeper Siosuia Moimoi. The fourth goal was already scored close to the final minutes of the first half.

Pharrell Trainor celebrates – *OFC Media*

The final 45 minutes saw the Samoans slow down the tempo of the game – the Tongans were able to create some goalscoring chances especially through the pace of the striker Alexander Hola, but not enough to secure a consolation goal for the team coached by Lui Muavesi.

At the 70th minute the tall striker Trainor added another to his tally after a very good assist from Lepea’s Ethlbert Edward. The striker controlled the ball between two defenders and placed it well at the bottom corner of goalkeeper Moimoi.

The skipper had time to add one more to the scoreline at the 85th minute; Olé Academy’s talent Malakye Paterson found Trainor with a brilliant pass, letting him in a one-on-one situation and with a strong shot put it another for Samoa. His fourth in the game.

Samoa could had scored even more goals in the match if they were able to capitalise all chances they created. The final scoreline shows the dominance of the Samoan team over Tonga: 6-0.

The Tongans still have one more match to be played in the group stage; they will the hosts Fiji in Suva, while the Samoans will wait the completion of the matches to confirm which side they will take in the quarterfinals.

Roy Krishna is back: the 10-game goal drought is over for the Fijian Flyer

Roy Krishna is back, finally we can say! For the joy of Bengaluru and Fijian fans, the all-time scorer of the Bula Boys found the way back to the nets as his team surpassed by 3-1 Odisha.

Recently, Oceania Football Center stated the bad moment of Krishna and his team Bengaluru. Now, after this good performance, the Bangalore-based side enjoy their second win in-a-row and expect to improve their records and qualify for the semifinals of the Indian Super League.

Krishna celebrates his goal – *BFC Media*

The striker scored the second goal of the three for his side in the 3-1 and also got involved in the third goal of the team. The striker was a 10-game drought without a goal, being this only the second of the Indian Super League campaign.

Son of American Samoa’s legend debuts for U-17 National Team

Nicky Salapu is one of the most known football players from an OFC member – not for such a good reason as he was American Samoa’s goalkeeper in the unremarkable match against Australia that ended 31-0 for the Socceroos. Later, the American Samoan turned into a hero for his country as he captained the national team in their first ever competitive victory against Tonga by 2-1 back in 2015 at the 2018 OFC World Cup Qualifiers.

Even so Nicky Salapu is a legend in his country, he is the record player for the national team (22 caps) – his last time with The Boys from the Territory was at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa when he captained the team the last time the American Samoa senior team was on the field. He is currently on the coaching staff of the American Samoa U-17 national team.

And this past Saturday – 14th Jan – he had the pleasure of watching his son Dylan Salapu make his debut for the American Samoa U-17 team in an 11-0 loss to New Zealand. The 14-year-old Salapu took the field in the No. 7 jersey and played 45 minutes, being substituted at halftime.

He is likely to take the field again in the next round against New Caledonia. The young Salapu can be a star as he father was for their country in the future and he is expected to play for American Samoa in more OFC tournament in the future.

New Zealand and Tahiti win to qualify for quarterfinals of OFC U-17 Championship

New Zealand and Tahiti came in as heavy favourites for the matches against American Samoa and the Cook Islands respectively. And on the field both responded positively by qualifying for the quarterfinals of the OFC U-17 Championship.

NEW ZEALAND VS AMERICAN SAMOA

New Zealand had no mercy on American Samoa and did what is expected of them, totally dominating the opponents from beginning to end of the match.

The first goal came in the 4th minute with Jesper Edwards’ header, and in the 11th minute the winger with Brazilian roots Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues scored with a long-range shot.

Playing at a slightly lower pace than New Zealand is expected to, the Kiwis only managed to score again in the 38th minute through Luke Flowerdew – then it didn’t stop there – Matt D’Hotman and Luke Flowerdew scored in the 42nd and 45th minutes respectively for New Zealand to go to the changing rooms with a more comfortable lead.

New Zealand vs American Samoa – *OFC Media*

In the second half New Zealand again took a while to raise the tempo and only scored the sixth goal in the 68th minute again with Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues who finished after a beautiful cross from Eric Suguhara. Then in the 70th minute Luke Flowerdew scored again – and in the 76th minute it was Matt D’Hotman’s turn to score his hat-trick. With 15 minutes left the Kiwis had 8-0 on the scoreboard.

There was still time for Luke Supyk to score from the penalty spot, Luke Flowerdew to complete his poker run, and Matt D’Hotman to score his hat-trick after a individual effort play.

New Zealand now awaits the third matchday in the tournament to confirm which side they will face in the quarterfinals, while American Samoa faces New Caledonia in the final round of the group stage.

TAHITI VS COOK ISLANDS

Tahiti continues its journey to reach a third OFC U-17 championship final and stand alone as the Oceania team (other than New Zealand/Australia) that has played the most FIFA Youth Tournaments. Once again, Coach Raiarii Golhen’s team performed well, dominating Cook Islands from the start to the end of the match.

The first goal came in the 22nd minute with Tiahiti Colombani hitting a beautiful shot from outside the box with no chance for Cook Islands’ goalkeeper Robert Savage.

Tiahiti Colombani himself extended the lead before the break again with a shot from outside the box – the Tahitian No. 10 is only 14 years-old and the second youngest of the entire squad. Keep an eye on this Central Sport prodigy.

In the 53rd minute Tiahiti Colombani appeared again, he dispossessed the opposing defender and gave the assist for Titouan Guillemant to score his second goal in the OFC U-17 championship.

With 3-0 on the scoreboard, Tahiti made several changes in the team, yet they kept looking for the goal, in the 66th minute Tuarii Rota took the rebound from a free kick and scored the fourth goal for the Tama Ura.

Eden Cadousteau scored from a penalty kick in the 74th minute, and Teriitaumatatini Martin scored a beautiful left-footed goal in the 78th minute to complete Tahiti’s rout of Cook Islands.

Now Tahiti will face the second from group A (New Caledonia or American Samoa) in the quarterfinals and Cook Islands plays Vanuatu needing to win or hope for a combination of results to advance to the next round.

Auckland City FC announces new defender Nikko Boxall for Club World Cup

The All Whites defender Nikko Boxall, 30-year-old, is the new acquisition for Auckland City FC as per announcement made today. The player is already training with the squad at Nixon Park aiming the preparations for the Club World Cup 2022 in Morocco. He is Michael Boxall’s brother who also played for All Whites and for the Navy Blues. Nikko returns to Kiwitea Street as he started his youth career with Auckland City and Central United.

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“I played for Auckland City FC in the National Youth League and I also played for Central United FC and always enjoyed my time here at Kiwitea Street. I played a handful of first team games for Central United FC before I left for the US. Kiwitea Street is my home in a football sense here in New Zealand and I’m happy to be here,” mentioned the player to the press on this very morning.

***Nikko Boxall joined the training today at Nixon Park. Photo: Auckland City FC Media***

The experienced defender commented that he is very happy to return home after having lived in the United States and played there for a long time. The player also had stints in Europe, playing for clubs such as SVN Zweibrucken (Germany), Vaasan Palloseura (Finland), Kuopion Palloseura (Finland), Viborg FF (Denmark), Seinajoen Jalkapallokerho (Finland).

“I am very much excited to start this journey with Auckland City FC. It has been one of my dreams to go to a FIFA Club World Cup, and I feel like this is a great opportunity at the right time.“, said Nikko.

***Nikko playing for his last club in USA, San Diego Loyal. Photo: Transfermarkt.us***

Albert Riera, Navy Blues commander, is delighted with this new transfer who will help the team in the next big challenge against Al Ahly. “Nikko is a player who we have been aware of for some time and whom we know very well. He fits our profile and has the attributes to not only thrive for us but bring experience that benefits the whole club.“, said Riera.

Boxall has made six appearances for the All Whites and two games for the U-20 national team.

U17 OFC Championship: Fiji comfortably beats Samoa to delight home crowd

The second matchday of the U17 OFC Championship had only one match in the Fijian capital city, Suva. The hosts started their campaign against Samoa – the Samoans, coached by local football legend Desmond Richmond Fa’aiuaso, the all-time scorer for his country, aimed to grab a surprise result against the hosts. Samoa counted on some key additions from overseas such as the striker Pharell Trainor, from Newcastle Jets from Australia.

The match started even with both sides fighting for the control of the ball. But Fiji’s quality turned into a goal at the 28th minute of play thanks to William Khan – he found himself free in the second post to head it to the nets after a very good delivery from Nadi’s Vinayak Rao.

Ibraheem Afazal (center) one of the key players of Fiji – *OFC Media*

After the break, Fiji returned strong to the second half and found themselves another goal thanks to Prashant Kumar at the 49th minute after a very good play of Australia-based Ibraheem Afazal.

Ten minutes later, Kumar was fouled at the edge of the box; the referee pointed to the mark and awarded the home side a penalty kick. Vinayak Rao stepped up and calmly put the ball at the back of the net to seal the match in favour of Fiji.

The hosts now earn a six-day period before their next match against Tonga. The Samoans will have to decide their destiny against the Tongans next Sunday (15th Jan).

Fiji Football U-20 signed with Argentinian coach Rodolfo Zapata

Aiming the preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia in May this year, Fiji Football U-20 has announced today new coach Rodolfo Zapata from Argentina. Zapata will command the Junior Bula Boys which performed an amazing campaign in the OFC U-19 Championship 2022. It was the first time Fiji have made the regional junior final in 20 years.

The Argentinian coach and former player, 56-year-old, has a vast experience in football coaching many different clubs around the world and has signed a contract of one year with the Fiji Football Association. Zapata worked as a Head Coach of USA Olympic Development Program (2001-2009) and also taught seminars for coaches and players development in Canada. He holds a UEFA Pro License and his last club was AS Los Angeles in the USA.

COACH CAREER

Alberta Soocer Association (CANADA – 2000)
US Olympic Development Program (USA – 2001-2009)
Sunshine Stars FC (NIGERIA -2010)
MP Black Aces FC (SOUTH AFRICA-2011/2012)
USA Youth Soccer Association (USA-2012/2015)
Gaborone United (BOTSWANA-2016/2017)
AFC Leopards (KENYAN-2018)
Township Rollers (BOTSWANA-2019)
Mukura Victory Sports (RWANDA – 2021)
AS Los Angeles (USA-2021/2022)