Late fightback stuns Futsal WhitesMay 17, 2011AUCKLAND – A late fightback from Fiji has provided a setback to the Futsal Whites World Cup qualifying campaign in their opening game of the 2011 OFC Futsal Championships in Suva on Monday night.
Three late goals from the hosts, after the New Zealanders looked to be cruising at 4-1, resulted in a 4-4 draw in the Group A clash in front of a large crowd at Vodafone Arena last night.
Earlier in Group A, Vanuatu outclassed tournament debutants Kiribati 9-2, while in Group B Tahiti defeated Tuvalu 6-0 before reigning champions Solomon Islands outgunned New Caledonia 12-5 in a thrilling encounter.
Despite a positive start, the Futsal Whites fell behind to an early goal from Fiji’s Sandeep Nair, then struck the post on three occasions, before a fine strike from Marvin Eakins after fifteen minutes tied things up going in to half time.
A back post finish from Eakins after excellent work from Nathan Robertson down the left immediately after the break put the Futsal Whites in front and then Lucas Silva’s long range effort made it 3-1.
A fine solo finish from youngster Dylan Manickum saw the New Zealanders in full control before two Fijian strikes on the break from Uraia Loki and Ajesh Narayan ensured a nervous finish for Matt Chandler’s men.
With just fifteen seconds on the clock, a dummy from Kamal Hassan created mayhem in the New Zealand ‘D’, enabling Hussein Sahib’s seemingly harmless ball into the goal area to find the back of the net and give the Fijians a 4-4 draw, much to the delight of the home crowd.
For the Futsal Whites, standout performer was skipper Eakins. With two goals, an assist and a typically assured performance from pivot, he will be a key figure for New Zealand as they seek to qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time.
O-League Golden Ball winner Daniel Koprivcic had no difficulty making the transition from grass to court and showed some sublime touches and strength on the ball, while flankers Manickum and Miro Major continued their fine form from the 2010/11 NZ Football Futsal National League.
Robertson enjoyed his return to the international arena despite limited game time while last year’s goal scoring hero Mickey Malivuk made some surging breaks in the second half.
Though disappointed at his side’s inability to put the game beyond Fiji’s reach after having numerous chances late in the game, Matt Chandler was very positive about the Futsal Whites’ opening night performance.
“I thought we were excellent at times and we can take a lot of positives from everyone’s performance tonight, despite the disappointment of giving up a late goal” he said.
OFC Futsal ChampionshipSuva, Fiji
Fiji 4 (Sandeep NAIR 1'43", Uraia LOKI 32'06", Ajesh NARAYAN 36'37", Hussein SAHIB 39'34")
New Zealand 4 (Marvin EAKINS 14'11", 20'28"; Lucas SILVA 26'23", Dylan MANICKUM 29'30")
Halftime 1-1
Remaining New Zealand MatchesMay 17, 1pm: New Zealand v Kiribati
May 18, 7.30pm: New Zealand v Vanuatu
May 18: semi finals
May 19: playoffs and final.
Posted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com 
