OFC Futsal Championship Fiji 2009 - Match Day 2 PreviewNew Caledonia and Vanuatu will be desperate for their first points of the OFC Futsal Championship when Match Day 2 gets underway in Suva this evening while Fiji take on a spirited Solomon Islands team who are also celebrating their National Independence Day today.
On Monday the Vodafone Arena crowd spurred the hosts to a 2-1 victory over Vanuatu in the championship opener before the Solomon Kurukuru – also supported by a strong contingent of fans – put on a dominant display defeating New Caledonia 8-3.
For tonight’s first clash (6:00pm local time), Vanuatu will be drawing on memories of last year’s OFC Futsal Championship when they breezed past New Caledonia 11-1. But Eric Michalak’s side has come a long way since then, working closely with OFC Futsal expert Scott Gilligan who believes the pace of the New Caledonians will be a threat.
In the other match (8:00pm local time), a win for either Fiji or Solomon Islands will see them go three points clear at the top of the table with one match to play on Wednesday before the Final and 3rd/4th place play-off on Friday. In the same match up last year, Solomon Islands beat Fiji 11-6. Dickson Kadau’s side is likely to find extra motivation on a day that marks the Solomon Islands independence from British rule on 7 July 1978.
One pundit who is confident the defending champions will go all the way is Victor Wai'ia, coach of the 2008 Kurukuru side that won the OFC Futsal Championship and went on to represent Oceania at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil.
“I think Solomon Islands are in an even better position to win than last year because they have been working hard on their defensive strategy,” said Wai’ia who now works as the Futsal/Beach Soccer Development Officer for the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF).
Wai’ia has been in Fiji for the past week taking part in the FIFA Sub-Regional Futsal Referee Instructor Course which concludes today.
Posted by
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