Vanuatu take on New Caledonia in the first match at 4:30pm before Tuvalu face off with Tahiti at 6:30pm and Solomon Islands clash with New Zealand at 8:30pm (Please note: These kick off times are different to the previously reported schedule and will remain in place for the rest of the tournament).
All matches will be streamed LIVE online via Oceaniafootball.com
Here’s a look at how the teams are looking ahead of the second round of matches:
Vanuatu vs New Caledonia
The two teams will enter this clash in completely different frames of mind after posting contrasting results yesterday. Vanuatu got their campaign off to a flyer with a 7-1 win over underdogs Tuvalu in the opening match of the championship while New Caledonia were humbled 9-2 by a rampant Solomon Islands side. Ben Hungai was the Vanuatu hero with a hat-trick and was joined on the scoresheet by Lui Sifas, Don Mansale, Louis Dominique and Terry Quare. They will fancy their chances of more goals today against a shell-shocked New Caledonia defence. Solomon Islands are the heavy favourites to win the tournament but the manner of New Caledonia’s defeat will have disappointed coach Eric Michalak and his charges and they will be determined to regain some credibility this afternoon. Vanuatu, on the other hand, will be keen to capitalise on their good start as they look to finally break into the top two (they have finished third in the last five championships).
Tuvalu vs Tahiti
Both these sides suffered defeats in their opening matches but Tahiti will be feeling the better about their championship prospects after falling to hosts Fiji 2-0. Tahiti were expected to be on the wrong end of the scoreline against the title contenders and will be pleased to have restricted them to a goal in each half. In a physical encounter, the French Polynesians defended well and were helped by an outstanding performance from Jeannot Ganahoa between the sticks. He is unlikely to be as busy against a Tuvalu team reeling after their 7-1 loss to Vanuatu. Tuvalu have a strong team spirit and worked hard against Vanuatu, even drawing level at one point when Easter Tekafa made it 1-1. But their technical shortcomings soon began to tell and Tahiti are likely to have too much ability for them tonight. Restricting the Tahitians to a couple of goals and getting on the scoresheet again themselves will be the main aims for coach Toakai Puapua’s team.
Solomon Islands vs New Zealand
This match is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the tournament so far. Solomon Islands are the only non-Australia team to have won the trophy and fully justified their pre-tournament favourites tag with a skill-laden 9-2 win over New Caledonia. New Zealand could only look on in awe yesterday as they had the bye and must be wary of facing a Solomon side in such free-scoring form. But this is the strongest Futsal Whites squad for some time and coach Matthew Chandler has put in plenty of hours on the practice court to make sure his team’s defence is hard to break down. The Kurukuru are likely to have a lot of the ball but will not find turning that possession into goals as easy as they did against New Caledonia. New Zealand will be in no doubt about who they have to keep a close eye on – captain Elliot Ragomo is arguably the best futsal player in Oceania and scored a hat-trick yesterday. But they have plenty of attacking flair themselves in Miro Major and Miroslav Malivuk. If they can keep things tight at the back and make the most of their opportunities, the Futsal Whites have a chance but the Kurukuru will fear no one right now and will consider a defeat to be out of the question.
Fiji will have a bye today.
For full schedule and results click here
For official team lists click here