The clash between Tahiti and Vanuatu has been postponed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Vanuatu squad. The tests were conducted prior to the Vanuatu squad departing their team hotel for the stadium.
It is not known if Vanuatu will be able to remain in the tournament as head coach Etienne Mermer is currently unable to field eleven players for a match due to this situation. Oceania Football Confederation is currently working with FIFA to provide a fair solution for this case.
Today – 17th March – begins the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers for OFC. In the race we have eight teams battling for a place in the intercontinental playoff.
Unlike in other editions, this time the qualifiers will be held in Doha, Qatar in a tournament format, identical to the OFC Nations Cup – the changes and venue choice were forced to be done so due COVID-19 precautions.
New Zealand as always since the departure of Australia of OFC is the clear favorite to go to the playoff as they did in 2010, 2014 and 2018 even with their main players arriving only in the third game of the group phase. Here we go for a preview of the first matchdays of the tournament and what to expect from the teams:
COOK ISLANDS VS SOLOMON ISLANDS
In this match we have perhaps the biggest disparity: Cook Islands managed to get all their players together with only a week to go before the start of the qualifiers, Alan Taylor who was appointed coach without practically knowing his entire squad has had little time to work, but guarantees that he has a game plan set up and that the team will make it. They faced a local team in a friendly match and managed to win 2-0. As underdogs as the Cook Islands are, they still have players like Ben Mata and Maro Bonsu-Maro, who raise the quality of the team by a significant margin.
The Solomon Islands side has been on a training camp since the end of November 2021, Felipe Vega-Arango is back in charge again after leading the team in the final qualifying round against New Zealand in the World Cup last cycle beating Tahiti and Papua New Guinea – favorites for the spot at the time. In the squad all eyes inevitably turn to Raphael Le’ai who at 18 already has huge achievements on his resume. Micah Lea’alafa will captain the team, even if he is not arriving in Doha at the best moment of his career he is still a key factor for his national team – his experience playing professionally in South Africa and playing for several years at a high level in the giant Auckland City may be decisive for the team. Felipe Vega-Arango said that the team will face the Cook Islands in the same way and seriousness that would face New Zealand.
On the field we should have the Solomon Islands with the ball creating a lot of opportunities, especially on the flanks, and the Cook Islands defending as best they can. It is the logic as everything from the Cook Islands is still an unknown – we have not seen these players playing together so far, which could be a weakness as the Solomon Islands beat the Queensland Premier League champion – Lions FC – in a very convincing performance.
TAHITI VS VANUATU
This match should be a key confrontation to define who advances on Group A, on one side we have Samuel Garcia’s Tahiti that seems to be a very fast team, with elite passers such as Terai Bremond, Heimano Bourebare, Li Fung Kuee, which should catch one of the best defenses of the continent that has Brian Kaltak, and Jared Clark – who replaces Jason Thomas who is absent from the squad – keeping the level of quality. An interesting weapon that the Polynesian team seems to have are the set pieces, constantly trained by Samuel Garcia. Vanuatu comes from a loss to Fiji in a friendly and Tahiti from a draw with Occitania and a loss to Cognac in their preparation duties.
PAPUA-NEW GUINEA VS NEW ZEALAND
A replay of the 2016 Nations Cup final, both teams arrive very different from that day; New Zealand players in the starting squad for this year’s qualifiers only Kostas Barbarouses played in the final, while Logan Rogerson watched the All Whites’ title from the bench. Stefan Marinovic and Bill Tuiloma also played the final but only will join the team from the second round onwards.
As for the Kapuls, 14 names from that squad are back, but older and without the same physical conditioning, which could be crucial. Also in the middle of the road you have a disastrous loss to the Kiwi U-23 team that made Papua New Guinea lose the chance to compete for the gold medal we Pacific Games, 9 of those players in the field played the 2016 final. The big news for PNG is the good level of football displayed by Tommy Semmy who recently joined the squad. The big doubt is the inclusion of winger David Browne, who is awaiting a response from PNG’s immigration department to again become eligible to play for the national team.
Marcos Gusmão – PNG’s coach – said he is not afraid of New Zealand and that the Kapuls will try to play, retain the ball and not cower in front of the Kiwis, which could be a suicidal tactic given the quality of getting off pressure from players like Clayton Lewis and the 1v1 duels of Joe Champness and Kosta Barbarouses against the wingers. It will be one of the most interesting clashes of the round.
NEW CALEDONIA VS FIJI
As well as Tahiti and Vanuatu it is a very important match for the pretensions of the two teams that tend to fight for the second position in the group. New Caledonia comes from a silver medal in the Pacific Games and will have the return of the legend Georges Gope-Fenepej after 5 years and the reinforcement of the defender Wesley Lautoa, who had a solid career in the French football, always keeping himself in a good level.
On the Fijian side the big asset as always is Roy Krishna who comes from a painful elimination in the Indian Super League even after scoring twice in the qualifier. Another asset for the Bula Boys is on the bench with Flemming Serritslev who led Papua New Guinea to the 2016 Nations Cup final.
The game should be a straight swap, vide whoever wins should put their foot in the semi-final. Fiji comes from a good win over Vanuatu while New Caledonia beat a local team in Qatar by 8-0 this week. Contender for best match of the first round.
All matches will be broadcast by the Eleven Sports streaming network.
Tahiti is one of the most successful football nations in Oceania and always gets special attention due to being the only non-New Zealand/Australia team to have won the OFC Nations Cup.
Ten years later, the Toa Aito wants to repeat the 2012 OFC Nations Cup success that shocked the world and, this time, qualify for the intercontinental playoffs.
The squad of 25 players that was called up by Samuel Garcia has a mix of experience and youth having four players who were at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 in Brazil- Teaonui Tehau, Alvin Tehau, Heimano Bourebare and Yohann Tihoni – and also the beach soccer star Raimana Li Fung Kuee who was bronze boot winner of the 2013 World Cup. The squad also includes five players who played at the 2019 U-20 World Cup in Poland – Mauri Heitaa, Terai Bremond, Eddy Kaspard, Roonui Tehau and Tutehau Tufariua.
The Tahitian squad done their preparation in France until March 10th, when they traveled to Qatar. On French soil they collect a loss to Cognac and a draw against CONIFA member Occitania.
The coach:
Samuel Garcia – who also coaches AS Vénus – took over the Tahitian national team in 2018 and was in charge of Toa Aito at the 2019 Pacific Games, managing to win three matches but failing to lead the team in medal contention. His plans for Tahiti in Qatar are big and he guarantees that the team will fight for a playoff spot, his experience as a player can be fundamental for the Polynesians’ triumph. Oceania Football Center already interviewed Samuel Garcia, check it out: Samuel Garcia: the leader of Tahiti National Team
The stars:
Today it is impossible to talk about the best strikers in Oceania without mentioning Teaonui Tehau, the 29-year-old forward has accumulated consecutive seasons at the top of the Ligue 1 scoring charts and has been the captain of the Tahiti national team since 2017. Currently he is again on top of the goalscorers list in the main Tahitian Football league with 18 goals followed by his teammate – both in club and national team duties – Roonui Tehau who has 12 goals scored. In 2019 his achievements went beyond the borders of Oceania when he was the highest scoring player of the year, and soon after in 2020 having the chance to do a trial in the Netherlands at a third division club.
Another player we cannot forget to mention is Li Fung Kuee, the Tahitian beach soccer star returns to play an official match for the national team after 15 years. His achievements in the football pitch include being two-time top scorer in the Tahitian Ligue 1 and helping Pirae beat New Zealand giants Waitakere United to advance to the 2013-14 OFC Champions League semi-final. His powerful left foot could make the difference for Tahiti in Qatar.
The Youth:
Roonui Tehau is a special player, today he is second on Tahiti’s Ligue 1 top scorers list, at only 22 years old. The attacking midfielder has the maturity of an older player, he drives the ball well and knows very well how to set plays. He captained the Tahitian national team at the 2019 U-20 World Cup and is receiving his first call-up to the senior national team.
Another great promise of Tahitian football that will be with the senior national team is Terai Bremond, a former member of France’s Toulouse. The midfielder is very talented, his passing is very good, and he could be an interesting weapon for Samuel Garcia. You can check the full Tahiti list by clicking here.
Tahiti is one of the favorites to go through in Group A alongside Solomon Islands and Vanuatu – while Cook Islands are rated as underdogs.
Tahiti will play their first match on 17th March against Vanuatu at the Grand Hamad Stadium.
Tommy Semmy continues proving to be one of Papua New Guinea’s most successful football players.
Three games after his debut against Hume City the striker scored for the first time in the NPL in a 2-0 win against Dandenong Thunder, after a beautiful run past defenders and finishing perfectly.
Tommy Semmy joined the Papua New Guinea squad in Qatar yesterday – 14th March – and is expected to be a starter in the Kapuls’ opening match against New Zealand.
The Solomon Islands finished their tour in Queensland, Australia – 9th March – in preparation for the World Cup qualifiers. The team coached by Felipe Vega-Arango collected two wins and one loss.
In the first match the Bonitos faced the under-23 team of Brisbane Roar, since the friendly match against the Brisbane Roar’s main team was cancelled due to heavy rains.
The performance and the 1-0 win with Micah Lea’alafa scoring the team’s goal got many praises from the team captain to the players: “Our current national team is different from any other national team I’ve been playing with in my career as a national player, it’s the best team ever where the young boys are coachable players ” – Micah Lea’alafa
In the second match Felipe Vega-Arango put a totally different team on the field promoting the debut as a starter of 10 players: Harold Nauania, David Supa, Raphael Lea’i, Carlos Liomasia, Molis Jnr Gagame, Leon Kofana, Ronnie Mani, Ali Mekawir, Junior David and Don Keana.
The Spaniard faced criticism after the 2-1 loss to Caboolture and said that people need not worry, because that is what a friendly match is for, to test the team, and give the players rhythm: “The team for the first half is new and really young; we are building a new team for the future, they never played together before. We all want to win, but sometimes we lose, that is sports. Most people don’t know what it takes to build and create a new team.” – Felipe Vega-Arango.
Ian Lagwai with a header scored the Solomon Islands’ goal in the friendly match.
The last friendly match was against the Lions – the current champions of the Queensland Premier League. A convincing 4-2 win, with the team managing to good spells of possession, creating scoring opportunities and capitalising the opponent’s mistakes. Micah Lea’alafa (penalty kick), Thompson (own goal), Joses Nawo, and Ali Mekawir – who scored his first goal for the national team – scored the winning goals.
Shortly after the good win against the Lions the Solomon Islands suffered a heavy blow: the young defender Javin Wae suffered an ankle injury and will miss the qualifiers. He was going to be the starter in the opening game against the Cook Islands. He was one of players who came to Brazil for the U-17 World Cup and also captained Central Coast FC to last year’s Telekom Super League title despite his young age. Felipe Vega-Arango said he will not force him to play: “Wae has a sprained ankle and I don’t think he will play in the world cup qualifiers next week… Was unfortunate for Wae. He is a strong boy and one of my best defenders.” Leon Kofana is expected to be the starter against the Cook Islands.
Solomon Islands’ delegation traveled to Doha to finish their preparation – they are already in Qatari’s soil. The Solomon Islands play their first match against Cook Islands on 17th March.
Tahiti’s national team returned to the field yesterday – 10th March – in the second preparatory friendly for World Cup qualifiers after losing to Cognac by 4-3.
Still on French soil the Toa Aito drew with the national team of Occitania – a CONIFA member – in 0-0. Again Samuel Garcia changed the whole team at half-time. Players like Eddy Kaspard and François Hapipi were starters in this match after having been substitutes in the defeat to Cognac.
They should travel to Qatar Friday and play their first match against Vanuatu on March 17.
Fiji and Vanuatu are two of the national teams that have already landed in Qatar for the World Cup qualifiers.
The two teams took the field today at Doha University in a preparatory friendly match. The two teams are in different groups in the tournament that will give a place in the continental playoff.
On the field a convincing victory for the Bula Boys who won the friendly match 3-0. Hat-trick by striker Sairusi Nalaubu. Roy Krishna who is still playing the Indian Super League did not play.
There is no further information about the match.
Vanuatu plays its first qualifier against Tahiti on 17th March and Fiji faces New Caledonia the next day.
Tommy Semmy is undeniably one of the best Papuan players of the recent years. He recently transferred to the Altona Magic of the Australian NPL after a successful four-year stint playing for the traditional New Zealand club Hamilton Wanderers.
However, Tommy Semmy is expected to arrive in Qatar for the World Cup qualifiers only on 14th March – as reported by local media – four days before the opener against New Zealand. He will possibly miss the last training sessions and a friendly match that the coaching staff intends to hold before the opening game.
“Because of my club commitments here, I had to change my flight from March 7 (Monday) to the following week, so I’ll fly out on March 14 and meet the squad there … I’m looking forward to joining the Kapuls in Doha” – Tommy Semmy in an interview with The National
David Browne, another star of Papua New Guinea, may not suffer from the same problem, since was not even on bench in HJK’s friendly yesterday in Finland – meaning he might be already on his way to the Middle East, despite it is also expected he will not have so much time with his teammates as well. The combination Semmy-Browne is something that is set to happen for the first time for the national team.
After seven long years the Cook Islands senior national team is back on the field for the World Cup qualifiers to be held in Qatar. It will be the first time that the national team from the small Pacific archipelago will play outside Oceania.
In Qatar, Cook Islands will have the return of five players who played in the 2015 qualifiers: Ishaq Mohammed, Tyrell Barringer-Tahiri, Grover Harmon, Harlem Simiona and Taylor Saghabi. Saghabi and Harmon were also present in the World Cup qualifiers along with Emiel Burrow who will also be in the squad. The latter did not play in 2015. Incidentally, Taylor Saghabi is the highest scorer in the history of the Cook Islands national team with 6 goals in 10 games played – a true legend for the sport in his country.
The coach:
The team that will be coached by the Englishman Alan Taylor – Oceania Football Center already posted about the head coach: “Alan Taylor to coach Cook Islands in World Cup qualifiers”
The key players:
Cook Islands will have two huge reinforcements for Qatar: Ben Mata, Wellington Olympic defender who will represent his country for the first time, and the forward Maro Bonsu-Maro – who has already represented Cook Islands in the OFC U-17 Championship and will wear Cook’s colours for the first time at senior level.
Both will add quality to the squad, Mata can bring a defensive security that has been lacking for Cook Islands in the last two qualifiers and Bonsu-Maro should be the star of the attack, as only Taylor Saghabi scored for Cook Islands in the last World Cup qualifiers.
The Young Guns:
Cook Islands has 4 players who played in the 2016 OFC U-19 Championship: Orin Prattley, Thane Beal, Jarves Aperau and Dwayne Tiputoa. They managed to qualify for the final round of that tournament. They are players who can add a lot for the team especially for their defensive performance everything in that tournament.
The Rarotonga-based players have been training with coach Alan Taylor since late November. Taylor was not able to have all the players because of Covid-19. Now they are gathered in New Zealand and should meet the players who are in Australia and England only in Qatar. The delegation is expected to travel on Saturday, 12th March.
Cook Islands is for sure the underdog in group A, but good additions have been made to the squad, even with little training time, the individual quality of players like Bonsu-Maro and Ben Mata can excel.
Cook Islands plays its first match on March 17th against Solomon Islands.
Papua New Guinea’s national team traveled to Qatar today to compete in the World Cup qualifiers.
21 players plus the staff members departed from Port Moresby. Brazilian Marcos Gusmão will be the Kapuls coach.
The last time the Papua New Guinea national team played an official match was at the Pacific Games 2019, where they finished second in group B and lost the bronze medal match in the penalty shootout to Fiji. They were currently on a training camp in Port Moresby playing against local squads.
In 2016 Papua New Guinea reached the Nations Cup final for the first time; of the squad that will be in Doha 14 players are with the delegation, including the best player of that tournament – David Muta – who returns to the national team after 5 years. On that occasion the Kapuls led by Flemming Serritslev – who now leads the Fijian national team – lost the title to New Zealand on penalties after a brilliant 120 minute performance.
So we can conclude that PNG will send a very experienced team to Qatar, with the second-highest average age of the entire tournament – what could cost them dearly. The squad renewal seems to be at a lower stage than in the other nations.
The key players:
For the qualifiers, Papua New Guinea will have the duo of David Browne and Tommy Semmy available for the first time. The HJK striker is the first Papuan to play professionally in Europe and was in danger of missing the qualifiers because of a problem on renewing his passport, but everything has been sorted out and he will play for the first time with Tommy Semmy in the national team attack. Both were even called up for the Pacific Games in 2019 but none of them played in that tournament. At the 2016 Nations Cup Semmy shined in the PNG jersey and Browne was cut from the final list. Tommy Semmy comes from four seasons playing at a high level in New Zealand and has now gone to play in the Australian NPL.
The Kapuls squad still has names like Alwin and Felix Komolong, and the experienced Michael Foster and the top scorer Raymond Gunemba. You can check the complete list for Papua New Guinea by clicking here.
Coach:
Marcos Gusmão arrived in PNG and implemented a new style of playing football in the team, very different from the fast transition game that the team was with Flemming Serritslev and the physical game with Bobby Morris. The Kapuls will try to retain the ball more in their games, taking advantage of the qualities of their midfielders like Emmanuel Simon.
Papua New Guinea is expected to play another friendly match as soon as it arrives in Qatar as the match against Vanuatu was cancelled for logistical reasons.
The Kapuls play their first match against New Zealand on 18th March.
Oceania Football Center