Five thousand children across one city hosting eight teams from five seperate nations and the arrival of a former FIFA World Cup winner helped make the opening day of the OFC U-12 Festival of Football a memorable one.

Saint Theresa school, Ward Strip Demonstration school, Sacred Heart, Port Moresby Grammar, Saint Francis school were amongst the hosts as teams from New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu were greeted with a cacophany of singing and cultural performances that communictaed the spirit of football.

OFC President Reynald Temarii was ecstatic with the turn-out and spoke of his hopes for the OFC U-12 Festival of Football, "This is an important step for these children in their educational development to see the unifying power of football to unite different cultures. It is in the competitive spirit, of course, but it shows them the beauty and wonder of community understanding that this great game of ours can nuture and grow."

Children at the Saint Theresa School welcomed the Solomon Islands to their schoolyard with a raft of performances that brought to life the sounds and voices of the Papua New Guinea provinces and highlands with the Solomon Islands Katukatu performend their "Awebuke Dance" to the delight of youngsters gathered.

Solomon Islands team official Francis Pituvaka said his team enjoyed the event immensely. "Oh, the boys were really when we arrived they saw how the school was preparing to meet them and they became very excited.

I believe from what happened tooday it wil be a big thing to tell their friends and family and presented items to them. The impression I got was the day served its purpose.

Its not just about the competition, it was gained by mixing with the Papua New Guinea kids and Saint Theresa kids."

When the formalities were over Saint Theresa and Solomon Island kids mixed and mingled freely with the host school charmed by listening to the Katukatu team speaking Solomon Islands pidgin.

Francis Pituvaka describes the subtle differences, "Solomon Islands pidgin is more or less broken English; PNG pidgin, some of the words are a bit different, but we can understand. Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and PNG - when we are togtether we speak our own pidgin but we can still communicate. It is the same on the football pitch...with the way we like to play!"

The OFC U-12 Festival of Football welcomed the arrival of Christian Karembeu who told a press conference at Jackson International Airport that the value of the festival was critical to spreading the popularity of the game Pacific-wide.

"When I was 12 years old I had no opportunity to play in a tournament like the OFC U-12. For me, it was much later and more difficult to get my chance to play at international level. A tournament like this was only a dream for me.

The benefit of this tournament is the kids can learn about each others culture and play for the love of the game. Maybe at this tournament in years to come we will see the next Cahill or Vahirua. This for me is an exciting prospect," Karembeu said.

The OFC U-12 Festival of Football Opening Ceremony takes place at the Port Moresby Rugby League Stadium at 8:45am local time with OFC President Reynald Temarii joined by the Ambassador for France Patrick Boursin, PNGFA President David Chung as well as representatives from the United Nations and Papua New Guinea Government Minister for Social and Community Development Dame Carol Kidu.

The tournament proper begins at 11:00am local time. The full schedule of matches reads:

11:00am Solomon Islands vs. Papua New Guinea 3

11:00am Papua New Guinea 1 vs. Vanuatu

11:30am Papua New Guinea 2 vs. Papua New Guinea 4

11:30am New Caledonia vs. New Zealand

2:00pm Solomon Islands vs. Papua New Guinea 1

2:00pm Papua New Guinea 3 vs. Vanuatu

2:30pm Papua New Guinea 2 vs. New Caledonia

2:30pm Papua New Guinea 4 vs. New Zealand

An OFC Press Conference will take place at 12:00pm at the Port Moresby Holiday Inn in the Restaurant Patio featuring all dignitaries listed above.

Auckland City won their third consecutive NZFC title after a 3-2 win over bitter rivals Waitakere United at North Harbour Stadium. City's victory clinched New Zealand's second O-League slot for next season with Youngheart Manawatu edged out of contention.

Midfielder Liam Mulrooney put Auckland City in front when he slammed a sensational volley past Mike Utting after 16 minutes. United bounced back with Commins Menapi levelling the game in the 21st minute.

However, Waitakere United's evening was ruined by the 34th minute sending off of Solomon Islands international striker Commins Menapi after a rash tackle on Riki Van Steeden. Menapi's absence left United with a mountain to climb after goals to Paul Urlovic (51') and Neil Sykes (78') helped put the match beyond the West Aucklanders reach.

Jeff Campbell scored a late consolation goal for Waitakere United in the 93rd minute but it wasn't enough to prevent Auckland City claiming the title and stretching their unbeaten run in this derby fixture to 13 matches in all competitions spanning three seasons.

Waitakere United's season is not over yet with the looming 2007 OFC O-League Final, first leg, against Fijian champions Ba at Govind Park on Saturday 21st April. Steve Cain's men will play Ba in the second leg on Sunday 29th April at Mount Smart Stadium. The winner of the 2007 OFC O-League will face the J-League winner for a slot at the FIFA Club World Cup - Japan 2007.

The stage is set, the teams have arrived and a world famous football superstar Christian Karembeu is on his way...

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) U-12 Festival of Football will burst into life tomorrow morning with teams from New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea (x4), Solomon Islands and Vanuatu visiting Port Moresby schools as part of the tournament's Cultural Day.

Visiting teams will take part in a cultural exchange involving language and craft activities with their hosts. The school children and their `adopted' team will work together on signage for the tournament that will be brought to the Port Moresby Rugby League Stadium in a colourful display of peace, understanding and solidarity.

The Port Moresby schools involved with the OFC U-12 Festival of Football include Sacred Heart hosting Solomon Islands, Saint Theresa hosting Vanuatu, Wardstrip hosting New Caledonia and Port Moresby Grammar hosting New Zealand on Friday morning. Papua New Guinea's four participating teams will be hosted by Ted Diro School, Bavaroko School, Coronation Primary School and Saint Francis School.

"The OFC U-12 Festival of Football is about making friends, learning about different cultures, creating a better understanding of the world our young people live in - all through the unifying power of football.

It is my sincere wish for the people of Papua New Guinea to embrace the value and principles of football and to see these through the joy of the children at this celebration of our youth," OFC President Reynald Temarii said.

The arrival of FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner Christian Karembeu is certain to raise excitement levels amongst the children with the former Real Madrid and France international a big fan of OFC's focus on South Pacific youth.

"I am from the South Pacific and understand the need for building cultural understanding in this part of the world. I am looking forward to meeting the people of Papua New Guinea and all the children participating in this wonderful event," Karembeu said.

The Cultural Day opens the Festival of Football with the tournament starting on Wednesday 18th April, 2007 at 11:00am.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL MEDIA MUST GAIN ACCREDITATION FOR THE OFC U-12 FESTIVAL OF FOOTBALL THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE CHANNELS.

NO MEDIA ACCESS PERMITTED AT SCHOOLS UNLESS BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT WITH OFC. CONTACT DETAILS BELOW.

Extra Info

TUESDAY 17th APRIL, 2007 -CULTURAL DAY

9:30am Saint Theresa School host Solomon Islands

Sacred Heart host Vanuatu

Wardstrip host New Caledonia

2:00pm Alliance Francaise Cultural Activities @ Port Moresby Holiday Inn

Film

Stands

Activities

3:00pm Arrival of Christian Karembeu

WEDNESDAY 18th APRIL, 2007 - OPENING CEREMONY

8:45am OFC U-12 FESTIVAL OF FOOTBALL COMMENCES

OPENING CEREMONY AT PORT MORESBY RUGBY LEAGUE STADIUM

9:30am OFFICIAL WELCOME

OFC President/FIFA Vice-President REYNALD TEMARII

PNGFA President/OFC Senior Vice-President DAVID CHUNG

French Ambassador PATRICK BOURSIN

10:00am CULTURAL PERFORMANCES BY PARTICIPATING TEAMS

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea x4

Solomon Islands

Vanuatu

10:45am HOST SHOW

11:00am GAME 1

SOL vs. PNG 3 PNG 1 vs. VAN

11:30am PNG 2 vs. PNG 4 NCL vs. NZL

12:30pm LUNCH

PRESS CONFERENCE @ HOLIDAY INN, PORT MORESBY*

OFC President Reynald Temarii

PNGFA President David Chung

French Ambassador Patrick Boursin

FIFA Ambassador Christian Karembeu

FULL DETAILS TO BE CONFIRMED*

2:00pm GAME 2

SOL vs. PNG 1 PNG 3 vs. VAN

2:30pm PNG 2 vs. NCL PNG 4 vs. NZL

THURSDAY 19th APRIL - MATCH DAY 2

1:00pm GAME 3

SOL vs. VAN PNG 3 vs. PNG 1

1:30pm PNG 2 vs. NZL PNG 4 vs. NCL

2:15pm GAME 4

SOL vs. PNG 2 NZL vs. VAN

2:45pm PNG 3 vs. PNG 4 PNG 1 vs. NCL

3:15pm GAME 5

SOL vs. PNG 4 PNG 1 vs. NZL

3:45pm PNG 3 vs. NCL PNG 2 vs. VAN

FRIDAY 20th APRIL - MATCH DAY 3/AWARD CEREMONY

1:00pm GAME 6

SOL vs. NCL PNG 3 vs. NZL

1:30pm PNG 1 vs. PNG 2 PNG 4 vs. VAN

2:15pm GAME 7

SOL vs. NZL PNG 3 vs. PNG 2

2:45pm PNG 1 vs. PNG 4 NCL vs. VAN

3:15pm OFC U-12 FESTIVAL OF FOOTBALL AWARDS CEREMONY

For further information please contact:

PAPUA NEW GUINEA MEDIA CONTACT DETAILS

Gordon Glen Watson

Media Officer

Oceania Football Confederation mobile +675 697 7707 email gordon@oceaniafootball.com

Holiday Inn Port Moresby phone +675 303 2000

Room Number 210 or 123

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is pleased to announce the arrival of world famous soccer star and FIFA Ambassador CHRISTIAN KAREMBEU this Tuesday 17th April, 2007, 2:00pm, at Jackson International Airport, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Karembeu's glittering soccer career saw him win the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship (Euro 2000), and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003 with France alongside greats such as Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Marcel Desailly.

Karembeu won the UEFA Champions League in 1998 and 2001 with Real Madrid playing alongside world greats like Roberto Carlos, Raul, Fernando Hierro, Figo, Fernando Morientes and Clarence Seedorf. Karembeu's former clubs include Real Madrid, Nantes, Sampdoria, Bastia, Servette, Middlesbrough and Olympiakos.

The former French international player is married to Slovakian model Adriana Karembeu.

Karembeu - born in the South Pacific territory of New Caledonia - is in Papua New Guinea for 3 days to help promote the OFC Under-12 (U-12) Festival of Football - Papua New Guinea 2007 alongside FIFA Vice-President and OFC President Reynald Temarii.

A media advisory will be issued on Monday 16th April with details of an OFC Press Conference featuring FIFA Vice-President/OFC President Reynald Temarii, FIFA Ambassador Christian Karembeu and PNGFA President David Chung.

The OFC U-12 Festival of Football has drawn eight teams from New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to Port Moresby with cultural activities, school exchanges and football tournament all set to commence on Tuesday 17th April at Port Moresby Rugby League Stadium.

The winner of the U-12 Festival of Football will represent OFC at the Danone Nations Cup 2007 in a 32-team miniature "World Cup-style" event.

OFC has been able to implement the U-12 Festival of Football in partnership with the French Embassy in Port Moresby through its France Co-operation Programme and Alliance Francaise.

New Zealand qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup - China 2007 with plenty to spare after thumping Papua New Guinea 7-0 at the Sir Ignatius Stadium in Lae this afternoon. Goals to Kirsty Yallop (2), Nicola Smith, Zoe Thompson, Ria Percival, Anna Green, and Hayley Moorwood were enough to give New Zealand a hat-trick of qualification for FIFA tournaments in 2007.

But the afternoon didn't begin so brightly for the New Zealanders after they spurned a raft of goal scoring chances in the first 20 minutes with Zoe Thompson and Marlies Oostdam missing gilt-edged opportunities with only Roxanne Komeng to beat.

New Zealand fears were quickly allayed in a golden ten minute period for the Kiwis when Nicola Smith, Zoe Thompson, Ria Percival and Kirsty Yallop scored with stunning finishes in front of the 4,500 strong crowd. With the result all but decided within the first half hour, Papua New Guinea committed players forward into attack leaving their back three led by Cecilia Dobbin exposed to the marauding wide play of Ali Riley and Ria Percival. Riley and Percival have been integral in New Zealand's campaign with the two wide midfielders extraordinary pace and accurate crosses leaving opposition defences in tatters.

The scoring continued in the 63rd minute when second-half substitute Anna Green netted a delightful left foot chip from the edge of the penalty area with Kirsty Yallop adding a sixth goal just two minutes later. Papua New Guinea battled gamely on, with their best chance of the match coming when substitute Samantha Peninsa crossed into the penalty area forcing New Zealand goalkeeper Jenny Bindon to punch the ball skyward only for PNG midfielder Julie Alau's tame effort to be deflected wide for a corner.

Hayley Moorwood completed the rout in the 85th minute when she latched onto a long ball from Abby Erceg and sent an unstoppable shot beyond beleaguered Komeng for the seventh goal of the match. Upon the final whistle the New Zealand team poured onto the pitch to warm accolades from the home support and warm congratulations offered and extended by representatives of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tonga.

New Zealand coach John Herdman was understandably ecstatic with the result and paid tribute to his players and backroom staff for their efforts in sealing qualification for China - 2007.

"I was anxious in the first 20 minutes when we were missing so many chances but these girls are fantastic and tactically they were perfect, they showed that. The performance was beautiful to watch. We've got much tougher games to come now against the world's best and we'll have to come back to reality but this is a fantastic feeling," Herdman said.

Herdman also paid tribute to the Papua New Guinea Football Association and the Papua New Guinea supporters for their support.

"The PNGFA and the Papua New Guinea supporters have been fantastic to us and it's been a memorable week here."

Papua New Guinea coach Marcos Gusmao was realistic in defeat.

"I am not really disappointed today because you saw the quality of the New Zealand team. I congratulate John and his players because they were the best team here. But Papua New Guinea can be proud because we have finished in our highest position in an OFC tournament," Gusmao said.

In the day's other match Tonga and Solomon Islands fought out a 0-0 draw.

Extra Info

Match Day 3

Papua New Guinea vs. New Zealand

Friday 13th April, 2007

At Sir Ignatius Stadium

Lae

Papua New Guinea

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Roxanne KOMENG, Kathryn SALAIAU, Cecilia DOBBIN, Judith MICHAEL, Jacqueline CHALAU (Julie ALAU 46), Tracey KIG (Regina SUI 46), Daisy WINAS (Samantha PENINSA 68), Deslyn SINIU, Miriam LANTA, Cathy AGUNAM, Lydia BARNABAS.

SUBSTITUTES: Watio BAKO, Molong KUSUNAN, Paulyn NORMAN, Samantha PENINSA, Ara MIDI, Antonia SURAKE, Marion Linda BUNAGA.

YELLOW CARDS: Jacqueline CHALAU, Cecilia DOBBIN.

RED CARDS: None.

GOALS: None.

NEW ZEALAND: Jenny BINDON, Rebecca SMITH, Abby ERCEG, Maia JACKMAN, Ali RILEY (Katie HOYLE 52), Ria PERCIVAL, Simone FERRARA (Hayley MOORWOOD 46), Marlies OOSTDAM (Anna GREEN 52), Kirsty YALLOP, Zoe THOMPSON, Nicola SMITH.

SUBSTITUTES: Stephanie PUKRIN, Hannah BROMLEY, Annalie LONGO, Emily McCOLL, Wendi HENDERSON, Emma KETE.

YELLOW CARDS: None.

RED CARDS: None.

GOALS: Nicola SMITH 20, Zoe THOMPSON 23, Ria PERCIVAL 26, Kirsty YALLOP 30, 65, Anna GREEN 63, Hayley MOORWOOD 85.

REFEREE: Amelia MORRIS (AUS)

ASSISTANT REFEREE 1: Jackson NAMO (SOL)

ASSISTANT REFEREE 2: Rohitesh DAYAL (FIJ)

FOURTH OFFICIAL: Lencie FRED (VAN)

New Zealand will expect to defeat Papua New Guinea playing an exciting brand of attacking football according to coach John Herdman. But the New Zealand coach paid the host nation enough compliments to suggest that he doesn't expect the match to be a mere formality.

"Papua New Guinea play an attack-minded game of football and this reflects the philosophy of their coach. They like to play a high pressing game and they put some good crosses in and they enjoy taking the game into the oppositions half," Herdman said.

However, Herdman is adamant his team will be able to score enough goals to win the do-or-die crunch match at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium tomorrow with Wendi Henderson and Nicola Smith both fully fit.

"We expect to score goals all the time. But we're equally happy to keep a clean sheet. If we do, we qualify for China. We don't have to win this game so there is more pressure for Papua New Guinea to come and win the game. But we're definitely not going into this game with a negative mindset we want to win and do so playing an exciting brand of football," Herdman said.

Question marks have been raised against the pace of New Zealand's defence by Papua New Guinea observers but Herdman rejected these views saying Maia Jackman and Rebecca Smith had more than enough experience and ability to cope with any attacker they come up against.

Goal scoring is definitely not a weak area for New Zealand after they rattled eight past Solomon Islands and six past Tonga in the opening two matches of the tournament. Wendi Henderson, Nicola Smith, Simone Ferrara and Kirsty Yallop have all been amongst the goals and Papua New Guinea will have to produce their best defensive effort if they are to prevent a Kiwi goal frenzy.

New Zealand's deadly finishing can be in no small way attributed to the excellent form of wide midfielders Ali Riley and Ria Percival. The pair have been at the creative nerve centre of most of New Zealand's goals using their express pace and deadly accurate delivery into the penalty area to leave opposition defences bamboozled.

Both Riley and Percival have supplied crosses for the Kiwi strikers with an almost scientific quality and with Papua New Guinea favouring a back three in their previous two matches Percival and Riley could find acres of space to exploit tomorrow.

Papua New Guinea coach Marcos Gusmao hinted earlier that he would rearrange his backline to accommodate Riley and Percival suggesting New Zealand had overused this attacking twosome as a supply line.

With both teams cagey about tomorrow's match New Zealand captain Rebecca Smith said calm heads would win the day for the Kiwis.

"I don't really know if I see it as a pressure situation. I think when you play in a tournament that only comes around every four years, there will always be pressure, not just against one particular team or in one particular game. If we play the game we know we can play, we will be the better team."

Smith said the team had rallied around team-mates Emily McColl (who collapsed with a seizure on Match Day 2) and Rachel Howard (who returned to New Zealand for her father's funeral on April 6th) and that apprehension about the task at hand was not an option. She said the squad was determined to play hard for both these players.

In-form New Zealand striker Nicola Smith is eagerly anticipating the Papua New Guinea match after being a part of two previous OFC Women's World Cup Qualifier tournaments that resulted in defeat against Australia.

"Tomorrow's game will be big. Qualifying for a World Cup is the ultimate, the pinnacle, for any footballer. Our approach will be to remain composed, play our game, and not rush things. Scoring a hat-trick against Solomon Islands was great but tomorrow I would take just one goal if it was enough to get us to China," Smith said.

Coach John Herdman will be without Emily McColl who has been rested as a precautionary measure due to heat stroke but otherwise has a full strength squad to choose from.

Papua New Guinea coach Marcos Gusmao has called for his team and Papua New Guineans everywhere to believe in themselves ahead of their do-or-die showdown against New Zealand tomorrow.

Gusmao - whose team must beat New Zealand to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup - China 2007 - says he has identified weaknesses in the New Zealand team that his side will try to exploit but admitted that a miracle will be required to make the Papua New Guinean dream a reality.

"New Zealand has all the resources and they are the giants of the Oceania Football Confederation and have a very strong team. But no team and no player is invincible. If you look at the 1982 FIFA World Cup the best team - Brazil - lost. The Papua New Guinea people have a role to play tomorrow and I hope they can come out and support us in big numbers," Gusmao said.

Papua New Guinea have conceded only one goal in the tournament but were guilty of missing a raft of good chances against Tonga through a combination of poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping by Mele Teukialupe Likiliki and Gusmao said the team would spend the bulk of today's final training session ironing out these deficiencies.

"The players will give their all for Papua New Guinea tomorrow and we have spent much of the day with the strikers. I hope the missed chances against Tonga will be forgotten. It is possible we will change the way we play because New Zealand are much stronger than Tonga and Solomon Islands and we will need to mark them more closely if we are to have a chance."

Gusmao will have a full strength team to select from and expected to rely heavily on the form of Jacqueline Chalau, Daisy Winas, Deslyn Siniu and Cathy Agunam if his team are to achieve the miracle victory they crave.

"Deslyn will be important for us because of her pace and physical ability. I think New Zealand are maybe not so quick through the middle as they are out wide with Riley and Percival, so we will see," Gusmao added.

Gusmao hinted he may deploy Siniu as a lone attacker against the New Zealand defence of Maia Jackman and Rebecca Smith after watching Tonga's Vasi Feke and Penateti Feke enjoy relative success against their higher quality opponents.

"I think we will have to make New Zealand run fast and Deslyn has this quality. But let us be honest and say New Zealand have the expectation to win this game. We will do our best and I hope the players take the opportunity they have to do well."

Papua New Guinea will play New Zealand in Game Six on Match Day 3 at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium at 1:30pm PNG time. A draw will be enough for New Zealand to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup - China 2007. Papua New Guinea must win to achieve the same.

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has today confirmed the date and kick-off time for the home-and-away 2007 O-League Final between New Zealand's Waitakere United and Ba from Fiji.

The first leg of the home-and-away final series will be played on Saturday 21 April 2007 (kick-off 3pm) at Govind Park in Ba, with the return leg scheduled for Auckland's Mt. Smart Stadium on Sunday 29 April 2007 (kick off 2pm).

Excitement is already building in Ba, where a bumper crowd is expected to pack Govind Park, to cheer their local heroes. The attendance of games outside of New Zealand has impressed OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas.

"For OFC the O-League has been a huge success in terms of taking club football back into the islands, the crowds in the islands have been excellent for the first year of this league.

I'd also like to congratulate Waitakere United for thinking outside of the square in taking the match to Mt. Smart Stadium."

Waitakere United's home ground Douglas Field - part of the Trusts Stadium facility in Henderson - is unavailable for the match and is currently undergoing refurbishment, including the construction of a grandstand which will be ready for the 2007/08 New Zealand Football Championship and 2008 O-League.

Waitakere United Executive Chairman Rex Dawkins is excited about the prospect of the return leg, despite playing "away" from home.

"There were a number of factors to take into account when deciding on where to play our home fixture, and with the assistance of OFC and stadium management we have been able to secure a fantastic facility at Mt. Smart Stadium.

We're hoping for a good crowd given the importance of the fixture and the fact we are representing New Zealand in the final. We are also conscious of the huge interest from the local Fijian population and have no doubt they will add to the atmosphere on the day. The nearby University-Mt. Wellington club has forged strong links with the Fijian football family, and there are a number of clubs based in South Auckland with Fijian ties. We want as many people as possible to come out and support the match - with the majority be supporting us of course!"

The winner of the 2007 O-League will advance to a December playoff with the J-League (Japanese) champion in Japan, with the winner of that match qualifying for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Solomon Islands midfielder Diane Justus says team's debut appearance at the OFC Women's World Cup Qualifiers - Papua New Guinea 2007 has been a worthwhile exercise despite some lopsided results.

It is the Solomon Islands first appearance at an OFC women's tournament and the team has struggled to cope with the pace suffering two heavy defeats against Papua New Guinea (1-6) and New Zealand (0-8) but Justus says it is all part of a necessary learning curve.

"We have a lot of catching up to do and our inclusion at this tournament came as a surprise to us. The team was thrown together at the last moment and there was so much uncertainty. Then we had the tsunami. Two of our team have relatives directly affected by the tsunami so there have been a lot of things to think about," Justus said.

Justus also says the Solomon Islands players should make the most of the opportunity to play in an OFC tournament. "Solomon Islands have never played at senior women's level, only at age-group level, and I am very happy to be a part of this tournament. We can only try our best."

Team coach Noel Wagapu was equally happy to be at the tournament despite the difficult results to date and the shadow of the tsunami disaster hanging over the squad. "This is our first time at a tournament so it is tough for us. But we have talented players that need more experience of playing at this level. We also have the 2007 South Pacific Games to aim for so we have to take what we learn here in Papua New Guinea forward to that tournament. The tsunami has effected one or two of the players as they are from the same region where it happened so we have had to take this into consideration."

Solomon Islands opened their OFC Women's World Cup Qualifiers - Papua New Guinea 2007 campaign with a 6-1 defeat against Papua New Guinea and an 8-0 defeat against New Zealand but Wagapu has been pleased with individual performances.

"Layda Samani has been good for us and Prudence Fula too. I am sure as we play more games over time we will get better. This tournament is about the opportunity to gain experience and play."

Solomon Islands final match of the tournament will be against the rapidly improving Tonga team who were beaten 1-0 by Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea coach Marcos Gusmao has downplayed Papua New Guinea's chances of qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup - China 2007 despite being installed as one of the tournament favourites by an expectant local media. Gusmao says the team has been in preparation since mid-January but had still undergone some radical changes ahead of the tournament.

"I have had to renovate this team with new players and this tournament will not be easy for Papua New Guinea. I have five senior players that make this team competitive but some of the others are very young. But we are confident of making some good performances and we were happy with the result against Solomon Islands and Tonga," Gusmao said.

Papua New Guinea assistant coach Bob Morris agreed and named hat-trick hero Deslyn Siniu and her strike partner Jacqueline Chalau as potential match winners with wide midfielder Daisy Winas and Cathy Agunam as others the team would look to for inspiration.

"Daisy is a very good crosser of the ball and up front Deslyn, Jacqueline and Cathy can score goals. They have all worked very hard with Marcos to be ready for this tournament," Morris said.

Papua New Guinea were in red-hot form against Solomon Islands but struggled for the same sharpness in front of goal against a tough Tonga side. Morris hinted that Papua New Guinea may adopt a more defensive approach against New Zealand on Match Day 3 but added nothing would be set in concrete until the coaching staff had spent time analysing the video of the two New Zealand matches.

"It is possible we may change the way we play but this decision will not be made straight away. New Zealand is a tough team and today we struggled in front of goal. But anything can happen and we have an opportunity," Morris said.