The Junior Bula Boys suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to New Zealand in a closely contested second semifinal of the OFC U-19 Men’s Championship 2024 in Apia today.
The team, coached by Marika Rodu, dominated much of the match and created numerous opportunities but was unlucky not to score.
The match started with Fiji showing more aggression and possession.
Ibraheem Afazal was particularly impressive, consistently threatening the New Zealand defense down the right flank. His sharp efforts tested goalkeeper Alby Kelly-Heald, who made crucial saves to keep New Zealand in the game.
The deadlock was broken shortly after halftime when New Zealand capitalized on a corner with Ryan Watson scoring the only goal of the match.
The Fijian spirits were not dampened; they continued to push forward and earned a penalty soon after. Unfortunately, Aidan Malakai Singh’s penalty was saved, denying Fiji a well-deserved equalizer.
Fiji continued to press, and Eparama Moraica thought he had leveled the scores, but his goal was disallowed for offside.
The Fijian team maintained pressure but could not find the back of the net, with late chances including a set-piece that saw William Khan head over the bar from a promising position.
As the match concluded, Fiji’s efforts to find an equalizer remained unrewarded.
The Fijians received three yellow cards for skipper Penisoni Tirau, William Khan, and Eparama Moraica.
New Zealand managed to hold onto their lead, moving on to the finals against New Caledonia, and securing a spot in the FIFA U20 World Cup 2025.