Rising star...Solomon Islands’ Raphael Lea’i in action against New ZealandWORLD SERVICEPapua New Guinea
striker...Tommy
Lemmy scored
twice in Doha
Subsequent tests proved that the
majority of the Vanuatu team had
the virus. Unable to get replacement
players to Doha for their first game
with the Solomon Islands on March17,
Vanuatu withdrew and went home.
“Under the Ministry of Public Health
regulations for the State of Qatar
Healthcare Protocol, the positive
cases must isolate for a minimum
period of seven days,” said the Vanuatu
Football Federation. “The VFF Executive
Committee is seeking the assistance
oftheOFCandFIFAifthereisthe
possibility to waive the disciplinary
sanctions regarding the withdrawal
of the team.”
The Cook Islands did at least play
their first competitive match in seven
years and were far from disgraced in
losing 2-0 to a strong Solomon Islands
team. Days later however, Alan Taylor’s
team were also bushwhacked by the
virus, and their game with Tahiti was
also cancelled.
Group A’s results were therefore
annulled and reduced to a single game.
A hat-trick from18-year-old Henderson
Eels striker Raphael Lea’i secured a 3-1
win for the Solomon Islands over Tahiti
and the prize of avoiding the Kiwis in
the semi-final, while for the Tahitians
there was the unusual situation of
advancing to the semis with zero points.
All of the games in Group B were
contested, and Fiji will have departed
feeling they could have reached the
semi-finals had they been given an
easier draw and a place in Group A.
After Roy Krishna had broken their
scoring record in a friendly win over
Vanuatu, they began the group with
a 2-1 victory over New Caledonia.
Although it was only the first game,
it was effectively a knockout match,given that nobody expected to get any
points off New Zealand.
Having said that, Papua New Guinea
did run the Kiwis close in their first game,
losing to a single goal from Wellington
Phoenix striker Ben Waine on his
international debut. New Zealand
then trounced Fiji 4-0 and New
Caledonia 7-1, leaving PNG to scrap
it out with Fiji for the final semi-final
spot on matchday three.
Papua New Guinea were well
prepared by Brazilian coach Marcos
Gusmao, and they took the other
semi-final spot with a 2-1 win. Tommy
Semmy, who plays club football in the
Victoria league in Australia, scored the
decisive goal and his second in
consecutive games.
In the semis they met the Solomon
Islands and, when defender Alwin
Komolong scored after 24 minutes,
a place in the final – Gusmao’s pre-
tournament target – looked possible.
Yet the Solomons, who had beenon a pre-tournament training camp
in Brisbane and put in good displays
against state sides, rallied and scored
three times in reply, eventually winning
3-2, with Ati Kepo grabbing an 88th-
minute consolation goal for PNG. “We
could have achieved better results if
it weren’t for the players’ injuries,”
said a rueful Gusmao afterwards.
The Solomons’ Spanish head coach
Felipe Vega-Arango had similar regrets
ahead of the final with New Zealand
at Qatar’s Grand Hamad Stadium, asthree of his players fell victim to
positive COVID-19 tests.
Predictably their opponents
were New Zealand, who had beaten
a negative Tahitian side1-0 thanks to
a Liberato Cacace goal to advance to
the final. The Solomons proved more
positive opponents – and easier to
exploit at set-pieces. Lacking the Kiwis’
height, the Solomon Islands conceded
twice before half-time through goals
from Portland Timbers centre-back
Bill Tuiloma and Newcastle United
striker Chris Wood.
Joe Bell added a third after the break
but the Solomons nearly pulled a goal
back through teenage prodigy Raphael
Lea’i, who beat Tommy Smith only to
see his shot saved by Stefan Marinovic.
Their moment was gone and the Kiwis
eventually romped home 5-0.
The final had kicked off at 6am
New Zealand time and two hours earlier
in the Solomons, which underlined that
the qualifiers were more about fulfilling
a requirement
than engaging
supporters
back home.
For those
teams that
escaped
COVID-19, the tournament provided
valuable game time but is unlikely to
be repeated in this format. The Kiwis
were always likely to win given the
depth of their playing resources,
and the real target for the islanders
was next year’s Pacific Games.
Reaching the final in Qatar will give
Vega-Arango belief that as hosts, his
Solomon Islands side can continue to
progress and clinch gold as the Kiwis
retain an interest in the World Cup.
Full tables and results on page 95.For the Tahitians there was the
unusual situation of advancing to
the semi-finals with zero points