The men triumphed 3-0 on the heavy surface while the women also dealt well with the mud to post a 2-0 victory.
The winning margin in the men’s game may well have been greater but the wet and slippery Thomson Park pitch made it hard for both sides to play constructive football.
“The players looked good today but we could not expect much from them because of the ground conditions,” Fiji coach Gurjit Singh said.
“It was almost in an unplayable condition and made things difficult.
“Samoa gave us a good game and at the moment my only concern is our finishing. We had lots of opportunities but could not score and will need to work harder in this area.”
The visitors were making their first international outing for four years and were forced to defend for most of the afternoon by Fiji’s attacking 3-4-3 formation.
Samoa had very little possession to work from and Fiji goalkeeper Beniaminio Mateinqara, who was given the nod ahead of Simione Tamanisau, was hardly put to the test.
New Zealand-based striker Roy Krishna struck first when he slotted home from a difficult angle on the edge of the box in the 29th minute and veteran Malakai Kanihewe nodded in from a corner kick four minutes later. The match may well have opened up further in the second spell but heavy rain made life difficult and Fiji scored just once more, through Lorima Dau with two minutes remaining.
The women’s clash followed a similar pattern with a goal in each half securing Fiji the 2-0 victory.
Both teams struggled to adjust to the conditions – which were the result of recent wet weather across the country – but Fiji managed to gain an early advantage when Australian-based midfielder Vanisha Kumar sent over a perfect cross for striker Sofi Diyalowai to notch the opening goal in the fourth minute.
It stayed 1-0 for almost the entirety of the match before local Virsila Francis came off the bench to score in front of her hometown fans late on.
The men’s and women’s teams from each country will face each other again this week and Samoa women’s coach Tala Salamasina expects his side to step up.
“The conditions did not help us,” he said.
“But we have got another game against Fiji so hopefully that will be a much different match. I’m sure we will do better than this. This is the first international match we have played for four years and I think we were a bit rusty.”
Fiji coach Usenio Logaivau was pleased with the win as his side looks to increase its confidence levels ahead of the Pacific Games.
“We raised our standards from our last matches at the Battle of the Giants competition and this test has helped us know about our strengths and weaknesses,” he said.
“I might give some new faces a chance in the run-on side for the next game. The Pacific Games are just around the corner and we cannot afford to risk any injuries.”
The Samoa friendlies are the final hit-outs for both Fiji sides ahead of the Games, which take place in New Caledonia from August 27 to September 9, but Samoa are not involved in the competition.
The Fiji men take on Samoa again at 4pm today at TFL National Stadium in Suva and the women’s game will act as the curtain-raiser from 2pm.
For more on Fiji football go to www.fijifootball.com.fj

Share