Malaita Eagles head coach Terry Oiaka has congratulated Makira Ulawa following their historic first-ever Solomon Cup title after a thrilling 3-0 victory over the Eagles on Friday.
Speaking to the media after the grand final at the National Stadium, Oiaka praised the champions for their impressive performance throughout the tournament.
“First, I have to congratulate Makira. They deserve this and had an outstanding tournament. This is their first Solomon Cup title and a historic one for their province,” he said.
A brace from Andrew Hanua and a moment of individual brilliance from captain Jeffrey Bule sealed Makira Ulawa’s name in the prestigious competition’s history books.
Despite the defeat and missing out on back-to-back titles, Oiaka said he was proud of his team’s effort and believed the game could have gone differently had they capitalized on their early chances.
“I’m proud of my boys’ performance today. We should have finished the game in the first half with the chances we created. Makira had two good opportunities and they scored from both,” Oiaka stated.
He also issued an apology to the thousands of Malaita fans who turned up at the stadium or watched from the live broadcast.
“It’s one of those games where, as a coach, it’s tough to take. When your team creates plenty of chances and you have huge support behind you, and not come out with the result you wanted. I sincerely apologize to our fans, but that’s football and we must accept the result,” he added.
With many of his squad making their Solomon Cup debut, Oiaka said the experience would serve as motivation for future competitions.
“We came here to compete and to learn. For most of these boys, playing in front of such a massive crowd and in a huge stadium like this in a grand final is something new. It will definitely inspire them to work harder going forward.”
Malaita Eagles finished the tournament as runners-up, earning the silver medal and a cash prize of $25,000 SBD.
Makira walked away with a $50k prize money.
By TIMOTHY INIFIRI JNR
Solomon Star, Honiara
