Solomon Islands was defeated 1-0 by host, Tahiti yesterday in the first leg playoff in the third stage of the World Cup Qualifiers.
It was an equally fought out match between the Tahiti and Solomon Islands which saw them end the first half scoreless despite a handful of scoring opportunities.
A free kick early in the second half changed everything when Tauhiti Keck sent the ball past the wall and slid in the far post for Tahiti’s lone and winning goal.
Solomon Islands came close with their chances but just could not find the right touch to make a proper finish to level the score.
Despite the defeat, Solomon Islands has a pretty good chance of getting a good result in the return leg with the home advantage.
However the pressure will be on their side to deliver a positive result for their home fans who are very vocal about the results and performance.
They need a win of two or better a three goal difference to be secured in their group match.
The next match between the two teams will kick off this weekend at the Lawson Tama Stadium.
OFC online had reported the goal brought much relief to the home side who had dominated the first half but spurned chance after chance, especially in a frantic opening 20 minutes.
The win also provides a valuable buffer in Group B for Tahiti who will travel to Honiara for a return fixture on Sunday without captain Alvin Tehau and defensive stalwart Jonathan Tehau.
“It’s great for our confidence to take all three points tonight as we have a long trip to Honiara coming up and we will be without some key players for that match,” said Tahiti coach Ludovic Graugnard.
“I thought in the first half we should’ve scored maybe one or two goals. I think we were very strong defensively. I asked them to use the wings more in the second half as we our best opportunities came that way in the first half.
“We had a lot of young players tonight and four players making their debut. It’s a pleasure to play for your country at home. We haven’t played at home in three years I think so it was a chance for us to enjoy it.”
Despite Tahiti’s dominance, at least in terms of the sheer weight of chances, Solomon were never out of the game with Henry Fa’arodo doing his best to spark something in midfield and Moffat Kilifa impressing down their left hand flank.
The visitors’ best chance fell to Joses Nawo with the match still scoreless as he tried to lob a stranded Tahiti goalkeeper from close to 40 metres out only for the top of the crossbar to encapsulate his side’s frustration as Tahiti scored the winner just a few minutes later.
Solomon Islands coach Moses Toata believed his side had enough chances to take something back to Honiara but was ultimately gracious in defeat.
“I was quite confident of the team going into the second half, and we did create plenty of chances. With all due respect to Tahiti we had most of the possession in the second half.”
“Tahiti were better technically than us although we had the speed. We couldn’t match the accuracy of the play and their ball movement was better than ours.”
Solomon Islands’ night was further dampened with an injury to goalkeeper Philip Mango that now puts the custodian in doubt for Sunday’s match.
Match day one continues on Saturday as Oceania champions New Zealand welcome New Caledonia to QBE Stadium in Auckland. That opening Group A match kicks off at 3pm (NZT).
By CARLOS ARUAFU
