Courtesy: OFC Web Site


Match Day 2 Preview

The second day of action in the OFC Futsal Championship takes place today at Vodafone Arena in Suva.

Vanuatu take on New Caledonia in the first match at 4:30pm before Tuvalu face off with Tahiti at 6:30pm and Solomon Islands clash with New Zealand at 8:30pm (Please note: These kick off times are different to the previously reported schedule and will remain in place for the rest of the tournament).

All matches will be streamed LIVE online via Oceaniafootball.com

Here's a look at how the teams are looking ahead of the second round of matches:

Vanuatu vs New Caledonia
The two teams will enter this clash in completely different frames of mind after posting contrasting results yesterday. Vanuatu got their campaign off to a flyer with a 7-1 win over underdogs Tuvalu in the opening match of the championship while New Caledonia were humbled 9-2 by a rampant Solomon Islands side. Ben Hungai was the Vanuatu hero with a hat-trick and was joined on the scoresheet by Lui Sifas, Don Mansale, Louis Dominique and Terry Quare. They will fancy their chances of more goals today against a shell-shocked New Caledonia defence. Solomon Islands are the heavy favourites to win the tournament but the manner of New Caledonia’s defeat will have disappointed coach Eric Michalak and his charges and they will be determined to regain some credibility this afternoon. Vanuatu, on the other hand, will be keen to capitalise on their good start as they look to finally break into the top two (they have finished third in the last five championships).

Tuvalu vs Tahiti
Both these sides suffered defeats in their opening matches but Tahiti will be feeling the better about their championship prospects after falling to hosts Fiji 2-0. Tahiti were expected to be on the wrong end of the scoreline against the title contenders and will be pleased to have restricted them to a goal in each half. In a physical encounter, the French Polynesians defended well and were helped by an outstanding performance from Jeannot Ganahoa between the sticks. He is unlikely to be as busy against a Tuvalu team reeling after their 7-1 loss to Vanuatu. Tuvalu have a strong team spirit and worked hard against Vanuatu, even drawing level at one point when Easter Tekafa made it 1-1. But their technical shortcomings soon began to tell and Tahiti are likely to have too much ability for them tonight. Restricting the Tahitians to a couple of goals and getting on the scoresheet again themselves will be the main aims for coach Toakai Puapua’s team.

Solomon Islands vs New Zealand
This match is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the tournament so far. Solomon Islands are the only non-Australia team to have won the trophy and fully justified their pre-tournament favourites tag with a skill-laden 9-2 win over New Caledonia. New Zealand could only look on in awe yesterday as they had the bye and must be wary of facing a Solomon side in such free-scoring form. But this is the strongest Futsal Whites squad for some time and coach Matthew Chandler has put in plenty of hours on the practice court to make sure his team’s defence is hard to break down. The Kurukuru are likely to have a lot of the ball but will not find turning that possession into goals as easy as they did against New Caledonia. New Zealand will be in no doubt about who they have to keep a close eye on – captain Elliot Ragomo is arguably the best futsal player in Oceania and scored a hat-trick yesterday. But they have plenty of attacking flair themselves in Miro Major and Miroslav Malivuk. If they can keep things tight at the back and make the most of their opportunities, the Futsal Whites have a chance but the Kurukuru will fear no one right now and will consider a defeat to be out of the question.

Fiji will have a bye today.




Courtesy: OFC Web Site


Wetney: Kurukuru are better this year

Attacking ace Jack Wetney has put out a warning to opponents that the current Solomons Islands futsal line-up is better than the ones which became OFC champions in 2008 and 2009.

Wetney, who won the player of the tournament award at last year's event, says the Kurukuru have come a long way since then and the players are sharper than they've ever been before.

"We have matured and now we are more confident as futsal players," he says.

The star striker feels that the 2010 vintage is more balanced, with equal strength in attack and defence.

Wetney counts himself as being among those who have shown an improvement after gaining some valuable overseas experience earlier this year.

He enjoyed a stint with Australian side New South Wales Thunder and, along with Kurukuru captain Elliot Ragomo, played for the Thunder in the Asian Football Confederation Club Futsal Championship in Iran.

Solomon Islands certainly proved they will again be the team to beat with an emphatic 9-2 win over New Caledonia during the first round of action last night.

Wetney got his name on the scoresheet twice while Ragomo scored a hat-trick and Micah Lea'alafa, who also scored twice, and Lenson Bisili joined in with the net-bulging fun.

The Kurukuru will face a much sterner test when they take on New Zealand's Futsal Whites tonight at 8:30pm at Vodafone Arena but will be in confident mood after their dismantling of New Caledonia. The Kiwi defence is unlikely to be as generous but anything other than a Solomon Islands win would still be seen as a major upset.

Surprisingly, it is not the likes of New Zealand or Fiji that Wetney singles out as potentially being the Solomons' toughest challengers though.

He thinks dark horses Tahiti are the side the Kurukuru should be most wary of.

"I am saying this based on my experience in the OFC Futsal Championship," he says. "Tahiti are the team we have struggled against."

The French Polynesians gave Solomon Islands their biggest scare during the race for the 2008 title, finishing runners-up and pushing the Kurukuru hard in a match the eventual champions could only manage to win 4-2.

The Solomons will meet Tahiti again at 6:30pm on Thursday and Wetney says his team mates will not be underestimating them, or any other side for that matter.

"We have respect for all the teams in the competition so we will be playing at our best level. I will be playing at 120 per cent for my country," he says.

"I am aiming to maintain my title as the best player in Oceania and also hope that I can win the golden boot award this time."

All the matches from the OFC Futsal Championship Fiji 2010 will be streamed LIVE online at oceaniafootball.com




Courtesy: OFC Web Site


LIVE action streaming now

The second day of action from the OFC Futsal Championship is availale to watch LIVE on oceaniafootball.com right now.

To check out the action click here

Vanuatu take on New Caledonia in the first match at 4:30pm local time before Tuvalu face off with Tahiti at 6:30pm and Solomon Islands clash with New Zealand at 8:30pm (Please note: These kick off times are different to the previously reported schedule and will remain in place for the rest of the tournament).

Hosts Fiji have the bye today and will not be in action again until they take on Tuvalu tomorrow at 8:30pm.

The kick off times in countries across Oceania are:

Fiji, Kiribati, New Zealand, Tuvalu: 4:30pm, 6:30pm and 8:30pm

New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu: 3:30pm, 5:30pm and 7:30pm

Papua New Guinea: 2:30pm, 4:30pm and 5:30pm

Cook Islands, Tahiti: 6:30pm, 8:30pm and 10:30pm (the day before)

American Samoa, Samoa: 5:30pm, 7:30pm and 9:30pm (the day before)

Tonga: 5:30pm, 7:30pm and 9:30pm


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com