SOLOMON Islands Under-19 men’s team had to fight back in the second half to score two goals and win the first friendly match against the Subway Joeys last night.
It was a close match. Solomon Islands were down by a goal by half time.
But a second-half comeback for the host side managed to see the Batram Suri led side end the match in a 2-1 victory, putting smiles on all the fans and supporters that packed the national stadium.
Many of them left the stadium with something to positive to share because it’s a sweet victory.
Last night’s match was the first international friendly of the PacificAus Sports Football Tour 2024.
The first half saw both teams displaying good football works and touches.
The Joeys were able to dominate the first spell with their lovely passes.
They were more brilliant with their ball possession and understood each other by creating space to hit their target.
And it paid off in the 30th minutes when Daniel Matina made a tremendous run to score from a clinical pass thanks to Anthony Didulica to open the score sheet.
The Joeys had few more chances in the first half.
Solomon Islands had to extra work hard in defence throughout the remaining minutes of the first half.
The U17 have also have their own chances with few lovely chances by James Laena.
Both teams returned after the breather with renewed strength where both sides continued to put pressure against each other.
The Joeys were able to stick to their game plan which provided a hard time for the SI Under-19 defence to stop any chances of scoring.
The Joeys maintained their game structure most of the time.
However, the half time talk was able to encourage the Solomon Islands side to work hard and put more pressure in attack and upfront.
It finally paid off with the two goals during the second half.
The U-19 side was able to provide an entertaining match for the local fans with its footwork and passes where they continued to bombard the Joey’s defence line.
Despite the challenge of height, their ground ball work and short passes was good enough to keep the Joey’s mid field and backline working hard.
The scoreline was enough to keep everyone talking and excited for the next match.
With the first friendly now over, fans and supporters can expect something exciting from both sides.
For the Joeys their focus now turns to match two this Sunday evening to try and win it.
The Batram coached-side will also want to maintain their winning form and put smiles on the home crowd.
Many soccer fans and supporters have congratulated the Under-19 side for their first victory last night.
“A good game and great experience keep the fighting spirit on the next match,” one fan posted online.
An Australian fan said, Australia played poorly, giving the ball away too easily, making poor decisions on the ball, lack of wide support.
“Plenty of room for improvement. Solomons surprised with many technically skilled players,” he said.
Suri on Wednesday during the press conference said, his boys were ready to play against a well organized team.
He has the confidence after their recent tournament in Samoa.
Suri said, the friendlies will help the young players in their professional development.
Joeys coach Brad Maloney on Wednesday said, they are here to gain international experience and exposure.
He said, the experiences are so valuable to the team as they prepare for the upcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2025.
They expected quality matches against a good side, he said.
The next match will be this weekend, Sunday 18 at the same venue.
By MOFFAT MAMU
