NEW Zealand fell 1–2 to Solomon Islands in the first match of the OFC Futsal Men’s Cup at the Vodafone Arena in Suva, Fiji, today.

This much anticipated match was expected to be a thriller as the title defenders, New Zealand, took on the six-times champions.

Seasoned Solomon star Alvin Hou was good on his feet today. He defended hard and was hasty around the arena. Alvin Hou was part of the Solomon Islands team that won the Men’s Cup back in 2019.

Goalkeeper Cliff Sasau was a towering figure protecting Solomon’s goal. He stopped a couple of attempts at goal as New Zealand mounted the pressure.

New Zealand captain Dylan Manickum, Steve Ashby-Peckham and Rahan Ali combined  well in search of a goal.

Solomon Islands added more experience as  Elis Mana took the floor. Mana is a tremendous footballer – excellent in attack and defence.

With eight minutes remaining in the first half, Samuel Tovoa struck the first goal of the game. The crisp touch from Calvin To’oro ensured a perfect opportunity for Tovoa to strike it in. Solomon Islands led 1–0.

Tovoa nearly banged another one through before halftime but was unsuccessful.

The Solomon Islands were playing like the Brazilians with their silky football skills.

However, New Zealand did not give up the fight. A nice set up by Ashby-Peckham saw Logan Wisnewski smack one back for New Zealand. It was 1–1 at halftime.

The Solomon’s made some breaks early in the second half but could not convert. New Zealand held their ground well.

The inclusion of Jayroll Patty seemed to spark some magic as Solomon Islands started to dictate the ball around. Hou was also eyeing the goal with a few close shots fired from long range.

New Zealand goalkeeper Patrick Steele was guarding the goal well until Owen Bunabo struck another goal for Solomon Islands. The simple fast one touch game plan was working well for them.

Then the boys from Honiara defended hard for the last seven minutes of the game to keep their 2–1 lead. Rahan Ali was desperate to get one back for New Zealand but Sasau protected the goal with all his might.

In the end the defending champions were not able to equalize as they went down 2–1.

Solomon Islands head coach, Dickson Kadau was happy with the win,

 “The New Zealand boys were big and fast. It was an entertaining game. We take a lot of things from New Zealand. We learn a lot as well. Our boys are young and we need to build more on our attacking game so we can improve on that in our next match,” he said.

Fiji edge Vanuatu

 Fiji fought hard to defeat Vanuatu 5–4 in an  intense match. 

Rajneel Singh, Ramzan Khan and Merrill Nand led the attack for Fiji. They combined well to confuse  the Vanuatu defenders.

Filipe Baravilala dictated Fiji’s shapes and strategies as they looked to dismantle Vanuatu.

But Vanuatu kept up with Fiji’s pace and threatening to score goals with any chance of a turnover. And just like that, Paul Takaro capitalized on a mistake by Baravilala. The 18 year old Takaro scored with such confidence giving Vanuatu a dream start.

However, Baravilala quickly made up for his mistake after the restart. He fired a rocket from the far right corner. Fiji drew level 1–1.

Vanuatu Goalkeeper, Hartik Sharma was having a busy night as Fiji mounted the pressure.

But with any turnover Vanuatu was so quick to be back in full attack mode. Fiji Captain and goalkeeper Kitione Baleloa had to work extra hard in stopping the shots.

Keshly Joseph was unsuccessful in slotting a penalty shot in the 10th minute. Joseph then saw a golden opportunity to cross a ball from a corner kick. Charlie Vano was available to launch another beautiful goal for Vanuatu.

Fiji’s Prashant Chand quickly responded to level the scores 2–2 before half time.

It was the same story in the second half as the team battled for possession.

Joseph continued to mastermind his team’s attack. He combined well with captain Michel Coulon to edge another goal and edge Vanuatu in front.

Fiji needed to keep in touch with the game. They needed some urgency.

But just as Fiji was finding their momentum. Takaro broke clear from the defence and sneaked the ball in between Baleloa’s legs to score a brilliant goal. Takaro’s goal just might have sealed Fiji’s fate in this spicy encounter. Vanuatu now led 4–2.

However, Rajneel Singh pulled one back for the host nation with just 13 minutes remaining on the clock. His team had to really dig deep to catch up.

Then Fiji’s golden boy Filipe Baravilala answered the call and scored Fiji’s 4th goal with 8 minutes left. The points were locked up again. This time it was  4–4.

Vanuatu’s goalkeeper Antonio Norman was subbed off and replaced by Charlie Boe.

Fiji finally took the lead. Captain Baleloa rolled the ball out from his goalmouth, to initiate Fiji’s attack. Shivnal Prasad tapped it for Bruce Hughes to smack it in for Fiji.

Vanuatu was reduced by  a player  when Charlie Vano was issued a red card. Baravilala failed to extend Fiji’s lead with the penalty kick. Fiji also lost Ramzan Khan after his second yellow card.

The emotions were starting to boil over. Vanuatu fought hard but Fiji remained solid to close out the game. Fiji still led 5–4 right to the final whistle.

“The most important thing for us today was getting those 3 points,” Fiji coach Jose Gerado said.

“We didn’t play that really well but we’ll expect to grow in the tournament and be better. These boys have a huge heart so we want the supporters to come and cheer for them.”