The draw halted a run of seven straight defeats for the American Samoans dating back to 15 August 1998 and is their first ever point at this level.
Their last meeting with Papua New Guinea resulted in a 5-1 thrashing.
American Samoa coach Rupeni Luvu downplayed the result and performance.
“We came here looking for the win but obviously to get a draw is great but that’s not what we came here to do.
“We wanted to win the match but I have to credit the performance of the players, but there are some things we need to work on ahead of our next match.”
The plucky underdogs might well have had an early penalty after just five minutes when goalkeeper Vagi Koniel brought down striker Ryan Paaga.
American Samoa opened the scoring after Sinisa Tua rounded substitute goalkeeper Gibson Jimmy to roll the ball into an empty net in time added on at the end of the first half.
Papua New Guinea drew level after much toil and graft thanks to an expertly taken solo run and shot by another substitute Frederick Simongi near the hour mark.
A melee ensued with in time added on at the end of the match that saw Rafael Rocha of American Samoa and a Papua New Guinea substitute each sent off to cap an evening of high drama.
The result gives the Rupeni Luvu-coached American Samoa plenty to rave about but for Papua New Guinea the road to New Zealand 2015 looks more difficult.
Papua New Guinea coach Wynton Rufer faced the reality of the result with honesty after resting most of his starting eleven from the opening day 2-0 win over the Solomon Islands.
“I trusted in my substitutes, we have about eight boys on the bench and, like for everyone, this competition is five games with a game every two days.
“I thought this game was a chance to give some other players a run but American Samoa were deserving of the result,” he says.
American Samoa face Vanuatu on Tuesday while Papua New Guinea meet host nation Fiji.

Share