Papua New Guinea made a remarkable entrance into the OFC Beach Soccer Men’s Nations Cup held in Honiara, scoring one of the quickest goals in international Beach Soccer history during their match against Fiji, which they won 8-6.
Despite never having played an international game before, the players from Fisherman Island, near Port Moresby, surprised many with their performance against a more seasoned Fijian team. Right from the kick-off, Demasol Manama struck the ball into the net just one and a half seconds into the match, setting the tone for the game.
Papua New Guinea continued their onslaught, with Ellygia Benard scoring two minutes later to make it 2-0. They quickly extended their lead to three when Goiravana Kala converted a free kick.
Fiji managed to respond, with Adriu Nabose scoring their first goal in the sixth minute, but Papua New Guinea quickly regained their momentum with another powerful free kick from Kala in the ninth minute, pushing the score to 4-1. Despite a mistake by PNG goalkeeper Kopi Samuel that allowed Fiji’s second goal by Jerry Sam in the final minute of the first period, Papua New Guinea maintained a lead of 4-2.
The second period saw a dip in scoring due to heavy rain, but Papua New Guinea struck first yet again as Benard netted his second goal. Fiji missed a penalty shot with France Catarogo firing over the crossbar. However, Steven Dean’s goal brought Fiji within two by the 20th minute, only for Raven Samuel to restore the three-goal margin shortly after.
Despite the challenging weather, Papua New Guinea continued to push forward, with Joe Vere adding another goal six minutes from the end. Fiji then made a late push, scoring twice in quick succession to close the gap to just one goal.
In the final moments, with Fiji pressing hard for an equalizer, Papua New Guinea put the game to bed as Ellygia Benard completed his hat-trick, securing their 8-6 victory. Fiji played without key players Tevita Waranivalu and Madhwan Gounder, who arrived late, but their absence will not overshadow the impressive performance displayed by Papua New Guinea.