Fiji’s Under-16 football coach, Sunil Kumar, acknowledges the challenges ahead as his team prepares to face New Zealand in the OFC U16 Championship final on Sunday in Pape’ete, Tahiti. Kumar recognizes that New Zealand will likely be the favorites in this matchup, but he remains optimistic about Fiji’s chances of creating an upset.
Kumar expressed the team’s ambition to make a historic mark, stating, “When we came to this tournament, we said we wanted to create history. Fiji has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. We managed to create it. But we also wanted to win the championship. Now we have a dream in front of us to achieve.” He emphasized the importance of approaching the game with a clear mindset and giving their utmost effort, remarking that this is a significant opportunity for both the players and the team.
New Zealand, coached by Martin Bullock, enters the final as strong favorites after decisively defeating Fiji 7-1 in the group stage. The New Zealand team has demonstrated outstanding performance, scoring a total of 28 goals while conceding only one throughout their four matches.
Bullock noted, “We have played Fiji. We obviously won that game, which probably makes us favorites. I think we performed incredibly well. We obviously take things from the group game when we played Fiji. We know how they are going to play.” He acknowledged that both teams are familiar with each other’s strategies and indicated they would be looking to capitalize on that understanding. He highlighted the competitive nature of finals, saying, “If you are in a tournament and you get to a final, you want to win. We are looking forward to the game.”