Discipline was crucial to the Fiji Under-19 football team’s 6-1 victory over Vanuatu in the OFC U19 Championship in Apia, Samoa yesterday. Fiji U19 coach Marika Rodu emphasized that his players received no yellow cards, finishing second in Group A behind the Solomon Islands, who defeated Tahiti 1-0.
The Fijians are set to face New Zealand in the semifinal. Rodu noted that they have reached the knockout stage of the tournament, which brings challenges such as player fatigue after three 90-minute matches. “Recovery is important, and some players may not recover in time,” he said.
Rodu underscored that discipline played a major role in their win, and that Vanuatu was not an easy opponent. “The scoreline did not reflect how tough the game was. Vanuatu is a young, talented team who had challenged Solomon Islands and Tahiti.”
He remarked that after their 3-0 loss to Solomon Islands, they bounced back strong and confident. “No yellow cards were shown to our players, compared to the six we received in the first game.”
The Fiji U19 team was trailing Vanuatu 1-0 early in the match. Fiji U19 captain Peniasi Tirau mentioned they were under significant pressure when they were behind. “As captain, I felt the pressure. We needed to equalize quickly, which I managed to do. From there, we had to work extra hard and raise our momentum in this must-win match,” he stated.
The semifinals will take place next Monday.