After a successful first round of competition, Fiji came out strong against a spirited Tonga side. Fiji had a close win against Solomon Islands in round 1 while Tonga lost to Vanuatu.
Fiji’s first goal came from a sensational header by Cema Nasau after a beautifully executed corner kick from Anisha Dwarka. Dwarka is a standout player especially when placing very accurate cross and corner kicks for teammates.
Fiji Captain Naomi Waqanidrola led the pack well. She is an all round player and works hard in both defense and attack.
Hoping to bounce back from a 3 nil defeat against Vanuatu in the first round, Tonga was prepared for this match up.
They made a few close shots at goal but all were unsuccessful. Sisters Eden and Anela Makaafi were brilliant for Tonga. They have a very good understanding of the game; presented with the right opportunities they can put points on the scoreboard.
Kanani Haunga and Gabriela Filimoeatu defended well. They did their best and gave everything they had to slow down the Fijian attack. Goalkeeper Keira Wolfgramm had a busy night in defence.
We can see the huge improvements in Tonga’s game, especially playing tough opponents such as Fiji. Tonga played with so much heart and maintained the tenacity of the game.
Preeya Singh combined well with substitute Mereoni Tora in the last 10 minutes to push Fiji’s momentum further ahead. There’s definitely a lot of depth in the Fiji squad. This will be useful in the knockout stages.
Sereana Naweni who also started the game on the bench, came in and scored two late goals for Fiji in the second half. First was in the 80th minute when Adi Litia Bakaniceva pinched a beautiful pass forward, just enough for Naweni to collect and slot it through. Naweni then scored her second in the final minute of injury time (97th minute). An excellent corner kick from Koleta Likuculacula gave Naweni the opportunity to nudge the ball over her head, tricking Wolfgramm in the process, and scoring.
Full time Fiji 3 – 0 Tonga.
With two losses in the tournament, Tonga head coach, Kilifi Uele, shared his thoughts on the game, saying, “We give the honor to the Almighty father for helping our girls today. Their performance was so different from the first game…we will be more competitive in this tournament. We thank the winner but I’m so proud of my team’s performance because we respect Fiji as the strong side in our competition”.
“That’s how we see our future in bringing new and young players to fit in our system and how we want them to play. It’s a challenge to have a new side but the development is going to be long term so we’re looking forward to that”, Uele added.
The teams now look forward to round 3 on Friday afternoon. Solomon Islands will play against Tonga, while Vanuatu takes on undefeated Fiji.