Fiji secured third place at the OFC Beach Soccer Men’s Nations Cup held in Honiara, decisively defeating Papua New Guinea 4-0, thanks to a standout performance by Tailevu Naitasiri striker France Catarogo, who netted three goals.
The two teams had previously met in the tournament opener, where Papua New Guinea claimed an 8-2 victory in their first-ever international beach soccer match. However, Fiji was missing captain Tevita Waranaivalu and another key player, Madhwan Gounder, during that match due to late arrivals.
In the recent match, Northland Tailevu’s Steven Dean kicked off Fiji’s scoring in the 8th minute before Catarogo extended their lead just eight minutes later. Catarogo then secured his hat trick with additional goals in the 22nd and 34th minutes, solidifying Fiji’s triumph.
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