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.
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 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.
Vanuatu National Team in a friendly match – VFF Media
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:
New Zealand vs. Solomon Islands for the finals of the World Cup Qualifiers – OFC Media
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.
Cook Islands team that started the friendly match in Qatar – CIFA Media
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.
Tahiti’s players were scouting the field today – FTF
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 Zealand and Papua New Guinea met in the 2016 Nations Cup final – OFC Media
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.
Fiji and New Caledonia battling it out in Noumea in 2018 World Cup qualifiers – OFC Media
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.
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.
Teaonui Tehau
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.
Roonui Tehau vs Colombia in the U-20 World Cup – FIFA Media
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 playing for the Altona Magic last Saturday – MP Images
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
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.
Raphael Le’ai vs Caboolture – Atnc Photography
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.
Solomon Islands players celebrating Micah Lea’alafa’s goal against the Lions – Brians POV
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.
Tahiti’s starting eleven – Pamisire
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.
Fiji’s starting eleven – Fiji FA
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.
Oceania Football Center 