
Resolute Tahitian Defence Secures Draw Setting Up Exciting Final Day Of Group A Action
Komeng made two changes to his side, with Marie Kaipu ruled out altogether with an arm injury, while Keren Kalapai was on the bench, as Nenny Elipas and Charlie Yanding started. Xavier Samin, meanwhile, made three changes, with Tihiura Tahutini, Kohai Mai and Anavai Taaviri getting their first starts of the tournament while Julienne Naomi, Vahinetua Tuiho and Hereana Brothers dropped to the bench.
The opening half an hour proved an evenly matched affair, with Tahiti's defence, expertly organized by captain Gwendoline Fournier, refusing to let the star-studded PNG attack settle into their rhythm by crowding the holders out of their penalty area who were missing the relentless threat of their Talisman Marie Kaipu.
As in their opening game, Haranui Le Gayic posed a constant threat from the Tahitian midfield, with her deft touches and probing runs looking the most likely source of a Tahitian breakthrough - and it came just before half time.
Le Gayic broke away on a rare Tahitian counterattack to win a penalty for her side, drawing the foul in the penalty area from Raynata Samuel. Kiani Wong stepped up to fire home past Lavina Hola to see Tahiti take the lead into half time.
Unsurprisingly, PNG came out swinging in the second half, and their determination paid off almost instantly.
Combining well with Padio, Charlie Yanding found herself in a rare patch of space in the Tahitian penalty area with time to set herself up for the shot, but Camille Andre was equal to the danger, and it proved a simple stop.
PNG secured their equalizer in the 51st minute. Padio floated over an inch-perfect corner to be met by Samuel, whose powerful header left Andre with no chance.
Parity restored and a renewed sense of confidence PNG went in search of a winner, with their high backline effectively patrolling the halfway line and seeing the remainder of PNG camped out in the Tahitian half.
But despite the spatial dominance, Papua New Guinea were unable to find the final cutting edge, and Tahiti's resolute defending secured both a vital point and an exciting conclusion to the Group A action on Thursday.
HT: 0-1

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Scoop
18 hours ago
- Scoop
Solomon Islands Coach Says Women's Team Can 'Go For The World Cup' After Stunning OFC Victory
Solomon Islands national women's football team head coach Moses Toata says they have proven that winning at the highest level of the sport is possible if things are done right. The side defeated reigning champions Papua New Guinea 3-2 in the final of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) 2025 Women's Nations Cup tournament at the National Stadium in Suva last Saturday. Toata said the win meant a lot more than just winning the title. "I think for me, the victory is not just a victory, it is a milestone for football history," the Solomon Islands Football technical officer told RNZ Pacific from Honiara. "It opens up the mindset of people that winning at this level is possible. We just need to do the right things [and] get the right people on the team." Toata said the national men's team has struggled to win an OFC title and believes the women's team will find it easier to achieve such results. He said this was because the men's team have to face stronger opposition during the qualifiers. "The boys struggled to win at the top level like this, but for the women it will be easy for us to, you know, to go for the World Cup, for example," he said. He said the national women's team had a better chance to be successful because they did not have to play against tougher teams as compared to the men's. "If we can give the right support to the women's football, I think we will have a better chance of qualifying for the World Cup in the future." Toata said the win now gives them better ranking ahead of the next FIFA Women's World Cup cycle and a boost as they start preparing again for the Melanesian Cup tournament later this year. "What I got from Oceania Football is [that] they will use this (winning the Nations Cup) as the ranking for the World Cup qualifiers. That means we will be one of the seeded teams in the World Cup qualifying competition that will happen in February or March of next year," he said. "We just had a confirmation from OFC too that the Melanesian Spearhead Group will have the Prime Minister's Melanesian Cup at the end of this year. "So, that will be a platform where we can use to prepare our team for the the World Cup qualifiers next year." 'Incredible feeling' Toata said watching the team defeat PNG was "an incredible feeling to be the champions and to make history for our country", especially taking into account the preparation they went through. "It was something that makes us all proud," Toata said. "We knew it was not going to be easy playing against the quality side like PNG, but we had a solid game plan to try and beat them, but we knew we had to dig deep, and it did not come easy. "The girls gave everything they had in that match and I believe that is what was that was a success story about that competition. It was a big moment. It was history for for the country." The team played in Football Australia's PacificAus Sports Four Nations tournament in Canberra in February. They played against Vanuatu, Thailand Under-20 and the Australian youth team then, but did not do as well as expexcted. A change of coach was made after that event, with former national representative Batram Suri replaced by Toata. When the squad was announced, majority of their players missed the start of their training sessions because they were at the OFC Champions League with the Henderson Eeels. "Our preparation started off on the back foot because we had half of the team with the Henderson Eels so we had to train with other other players who were available in the training squad," he said. "And then we managed to get them when when all the players were back so I had to ask Solomon Football to put the girls into camp for three weeks so that we can have extra training sessions. "We approached the training really carefully, because I know we had a competition going on, and they have commitment with their clubs, and so we have to be really mindful of pushing them in the training camp, as well as letting them go during the weekends to play for their clubs. Yeah, so that was our preparation." The OFC Women's Nations Cup campaign in Suva was not a smooth run either. The side lost 3-1 to host Fiji in their opening game but returned to beat Vanuatu 2-1 and then Tonga 5-0 in their other pool matches. In the semifinals, they pipped Samoa 2-1 to line up their clash against PNG in the final. Toata said captain Ileen Pegi was their only overseas-based player, the star playing out of New Caledonia. He said the skipper led by example and was an inspiration to the side, especially after defying medical advise to play in the final, despite a calf injury. "So after our semifinal match against Samoa, she picked up a calf injury, and the physio told me Ileen could not play in the final," Toata said. "I went to see Ileen and asked her are you going to play? And she responded, yes and that was when I knew in my heart she has got something in her and she can do it even with the pain in her legs. "That is something extraordinary about Ileen. She is a fighter and she's a leader in the team and I always put my trust in her to lead the team." Thanking everyone supporting the team Toata and the team will enjoy the moment and return to start preparing for the Melanesian Cup event. Another good performance from the tournament will set them up for the World Cup qualifiers in 2026. He is asking for continued support from those who have helped them, while thanking them also for backing the team. "I would just want to sincerely thank everyone who are behind the team, the Solomon Islands Football Federation for their trust and support and and believe in this team and a special thank you to all the clubs who invested in the players to develop," he said. "We acknowledge the work they put in behind building the players for years, and I can only say that the result of today comes from the hard work that people put into developing players and giving them opportunities to compete and to develop." He said the local club competition has been the only platform where players have been able to compete in. And he acknowledge the sponsors of each clubs. "This win is also for them," he added.

RNZ News
20 hours ago
- RNZ News
Solomon Islands coach says women's team can 'go for the World Cup' after stunning OFC victory
Solomon Islands celebrate their second goal during the OFC 2025 Women's Nations Cup against reigning champions Papua New Guinea in Suva. 19 July 2025 Photo: Kirk Corrie / Solomon Islands national women's football team head coach Moses Toata says they have proven that winning at the highest level of the sport is possible if things are done right. The side defeated reigning champions Papua New Guinea 3-2 in the final of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) 2025 Women's Nations Cup tournament at the National Stadium in Suva last Saturday. Toata said the win meant a lot more than just winning the title. Solomon Islands lift the OFC Women's Nations Cup trophy for 2025 at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva. 19 July 2025. Photo: Kirk Corrie / "I think for me, the victory is not just a victory, it is a milestone for football history," the Solomon Islands Football technical officer told RNZ Pacific from Honiara. "It opens up the mindset of people that winning at this level is possible. We just need to do the right things [and] get the right people on the team." Toata said the national men's team has struggled to win an OFC title and believes the women's team will find it easier to achieve such results. He said this was because the men's team have to face stronger opposition during the qualifiers. "The boys struggled to win at the top level like this, but for the women it will be easy for us to, you know, to go for the World Cup, for example," he said. He said the national women's team had a better chance to be successful because they did not have to play against tougher teams as compared to the men's. "If we can give the right support to the women's football, I think we will have a better chance of qualifying for the World Cup in the future." Moses Toata Photo: Oceania Football Confederation Toata said the win now gives them better ranking ahead of the next FIFA Women's World Cup cycle and a boost as they start preparing again for the Melanesian Cup tournament later this year. "What I got from Oceania Football is [that] they will use this (winning the Nations Cup) as the ranking for the World Cup qualifiers. That means we will be one of the seeded teams in the World Cup qualifying competition that will happen in February or March of next year," he said. "We just had a confirmation from OFC too that the Melanesian Spearhead Group will have the Prime Minister's Melanesian Cup at the end of this year. "So, that will be a platform where we can use to prepare our team for the the World Cup qualifiers next year." Toata said watching the team defeat PNG was "an incredible feeling to be the champions and to make history for our country", especially taking into account the preparation they went through. "It was something that makes us all proud," Toata said. "We knew it was not going to be easy playing against the quality side like PNG, but we had a solid game plan to try and beat them, but we knew we had to dig deep, and it did not come easy. "The girls gave everything they had in that match and I believe that is what was that was a success story about that competition. It was a big moment. It was history for for the country." The team played in Football Australia's PacificAus Sports Four Nations tournament in Canberra in February. They played against Vanuatu, Thailand Under-20 and the Australian youth team then, but did not do as well as expexcted. The Solomon Islands Football Federation's national women's team in Honiara on Monday, 21 July. Thousands of supporters greeted captain Ileen Pegi, coach Moses Toata and the players to show their appreciation for winning the OFC Women's Nations Cup title in Fiji. Photo: Oceania Football Confederation A change of coach was made after that event, with former national representative Batram Suri replaced by Toata. When the squad was announced, majority of their players missed the start of their training sessions because they were at the OFC Champions League with the Henderson Eeels. "Our preparation started off on the back foot because we had half of the team with the Henderson Eels so we had to train with other other players who were available in the training squad," he said. "And then we managed to get them when when all the players were back so I had to ask Solomon Football to put the girls into camp for three weeks so that we can have extra training sessions. "We approached the training really carefully, because I know we had a competition going on, and they have commitment with their clubs, and so we have to be really mindful of pushing them in the training camp, as well as letting them go during the weekends to play for their clubs. Yeah, so that was our preparation." The OFC Women's Nations Cup campaign in Suva was not a smooth run either. The side lost 3-1 to host Fiji in their opening game but returned to beat Vanuatu 2-1 and then Tonga 5-0 in their other pool matches. In the semifinals, they pipped Samoa 2-1 to line up their clash against PNG in the final. Toata said captain Ileen Pegi was their only overseas-based player, the star playing out of New Caledonia. He said the skipper led by example and was an inspiration to the side, especially after defying medical advise to play in the final, despite a calf injury. "So after our semifinal match against Samoa, she picked up a calf injury, and the physio told me Ileen could not play in the final," Toata said. "I went to see Ileen and asked her are you going to play? And she responded, yes and that was when I knew in my heart she has got something in her and she can do it even with the pain in her legs. "That is something extraordinary about Ileen. She is a fighter and she's a leader in the team and I always put my trust in her to lead the team." Toata and the team will enjoy the moment and return to start preparing for the Melanesian Cup event. Another good performance from the tournament will set them up for the World Cup qualifiers in 2026. He is asking for continued support from those who have helped them, while thanking them also for backing the team. "I would just want to sincerely thank everyone who are behind the team, the Solomon Islands Football Federation for their trust and support and and believe in this team and a special thank you to all the clubs who invested in the players to develop," he said. "We acknowledge the work they put in behind building the players for years, and I can only say that the result of today comes from the hard work that people put into developing players and giving them opportunities to compete and to develop." He said the local club competition has been the only platform where players have been able to compete in. And he acknowledge the sponsors of each clubs. "This win is also for them," he added.

RNZ News
5 days ago
- RNZ News
Wapu Sonk stands down from PNG NRL franchise board amid corruption allegations
By Papua New Guinea correspondent Marian Faa , ABC . Wapu Sonk has stood down over allegations of corrupt business dealings linked to a Chinese state-run company. Photo: ABC News / Craig Hansen In short: What's next? A powerful businessman has stood down from the board of Papua New Guinea's new NRL franchise amid corruption concerns relating to business dealings with a Chinese state-owned company. The newly established board has been entrusted with overseeing more than AU$200 million in Australian government funding to set up PNG's new NRL team, which plans to join the rugby league competition in 2028. PNG businessman Wapu Sonk led a successful campaign as chair of the PNG NRL bid in 2024, and was appointed as a director of the franchise board last month. On Friday, PNG Prime Minister James Marape said Sonk had agreed to step aside following corruption concerns reported in the Sydney Morning Herald . The concerns surround business dealings related to Sonk's role as managing director of PNG state-owned oil company Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (KPHL), and not the NRL franchise. An official letter seen by the ABC shows KPHL insisted that Chinese state-owned company China Petroleum and Pipeline Engineering Corporation award a subcontract to an Australian company owned by Sonk. China Petroleum and Pipeline Engineering Corporation was awarded a contract to upgrade fuel storage facilities at a major wharf outside PNG's capital. The letter suggests that failure to award the subcontracts could "compromise the project's overall success" and collaborative efforts between the Chinese Company and KPHL. Sonk did not respond to requests for comment and has not yet publicly commented on the allegations. In a statement, Marape said the allegations "raise concerns that cannot be ignored". He said the allegations against Sonk, who is not in PNG presently, were not a presumption of guilt. "Mr Sonk is entitled to due process and the opportunity to clear his name," he said. "Stepping down allows him the space to do so without casting a shadow over the franchise process or compromising the confidence of our partners. "This moment demands clarity, accountability, and the upholding of public confidence. Our national sporting future - and our international reputation - depend on it." To help the PNG franchise join the NRL, the Australian government has committed $600m over 10 years. The money will also fund community outreach programs supported by the new club. -ABC