Team Wellington claimed their third national league title in New Zealand when they beat Auckland City FC 4-2 in a thrilling encounter.
Sunday’s ISPS Handa Men’s Premiership 2020-2021 finale at North Harbour Stadium marked the end of the current format of the league, which has undergone major changes that will kick in shortly.
Auckland City topped the standings during the regular season but that didn’t bother Team Wellington who were led admirably by man of the match Andy Bevin with two goals.
Team Wellington established a 2-0 lead early on through Bevin and Jack-Henry Sinclair but the Navy Blues ensured the game went to the break at 2-2 as Emiliano Tade and Dylan Manickum both got on the score sheet.
In the second spell, Team Wellington took over as Ollie Whyte scored in the 55th minute before Bevin completed his brace 14 minutes later to secure the title.
In Fiji, Ba FC sits atop the Digicel Premier League standings after three rounds, edging Suva on goal difference.
Ba beat Nadroga FC 1-0 on Sunday, while Suva got past Navua by the same scoreline via a Shahil Dave goal in the 26th minute.
Across the league, Nadi got their first win of the campaign when they beat Lautoka FC 2-0 at Prince Charles Park courtesy of second half goals from Napolioni Qasevakatini and Rusiate Matarerega, while Labasa and Rewa settled for a goalless draw.
There were no matches played in the Digicel Women’s Super League during the weekend but Round 3 will begin with Tailevu Naitasiri v Labasa on Saturday followed by two more fixtures on Sunday.
In Tahiti, Dragon beat Tiare Tahiti 5-0 and they sit atop the Ligue 1 standings just ahead of Pirae who hammered Manu Ura 8-2 during the weekend.
In the competition’s other fixtures, AS Pueu maintained third place with an 8-1 victory over Mataiea, while Venus beat AS Tefana 2-1 to remain in fourth.
Excelsior remained at the foot of the ladder after they went down 3-1 to Central and Olympic Mahina beat Arue 3-0.
The S-League in the Solomon Islands officially concluded during the weekend with the final round of matches.
They were largely ceremonial though given the Henderson Eels had wrapped up a maiden league title with a match to spare last week.
The Eels concluded their successful campaign on a slightly negative note as they went down 3-0 to the Solomon Warriors on Sunday as the Warriors solidified their hold on second place.
In the weekend’s other matches, Central Coast finished third in the league after completing a 2-2 draw with Isabel United on Saturday. Isabel rounded out the top four on the ladder.
Real Kakamora beat Honiara City 2-1 in their final outing and Marist beat Kossa by the same score.
The Henderson Eels then swept the awards night for the competition as Joses Nawo took home the Golden Boot, Raphael Le’ai was named player of the season, Desmond Tutu grabbed the Golden Glove, and Eddie Marahare was anointed coach of the year.
In Papua New Guinea, the Women’s National Soccer League semi-finals have been delayed due to COVID-19.
All sporting activities have been put on hold throughout the country until further notice.
In New Caledonia, their Super Ligue competition has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic but they hope to begin their football calendar next month.
In Samoa, youth leagues and business house competitions are in full swing. You can catch the results via Football Federation Samoa’s Facebook page.
Tonga Football Association have announced they will be operating a futsal league that will get underway next month and they’re calling for entries. More information can be found here.
Ends