The Solomon Islands National U-16 men’s team, the Katu-Katus, fell short against New Caledonia, going down 5-2 in their opening match of the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship on Monday at the National Stadium.
In a match that promised flair and excitement, both teams delivered from the opening whistle.
It didn’t take long for the visitors to strike first, with Hnoija Wetewea firing past Solomon Islands goalkeeper Eddie Aefi in the 8th minute.
Backed by hundreds of vocal supporters, the Katu Katus pressed high in search of an equaliser.
Their efforts were rewarded minutes later when Junior Ben was brought down inside the penalty area.
Junior Sam stepped up calmly converted from the spot to level the scores.
Moments later, Ben turned scorer himself, finishing off a perfectly timed cross from Junior Sese to give the Solomon Islands a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.
New Caledonia responded strongly after the break and soon found the equaliser through Andre Menango, who headed home from a corner kick to level the scores.
The visitors then regained the lead through Lenddy Wede’s well-placed header before Wede struck again, this time with a solo effort down the wing, finishing past the Solomon Islands goalkeeper to extend the advantage.
Menango then sealed the result with his second goal of the match, once again from a corner, completing his brace and securing a 5-2 victory for New Caledonia.
Speaking after the match, Solomon Islands coach Henry Fa’arodo Jnr said, his young side showed plenty of positives despite the defeat.
“I would say there’s a lot of positives that come out from the game and I commend my boys. They have done very well throughout the game and the football that they showed,” he said.
“I also commend New Caledonia. They have done their homework with four or five chances and they get their goals, and that’s the difference. We created a lot of chances, we were just unlucky.”
Fa’arodo noted that concentration and set-piece organisation will be key areas to address before their next match.
“I think what we will work on is our set pieces. Out of the five goals they scored today, three were from set pieces.
“The boys also lost concentration after that, but they are kids, and for us to develop them into the elite players we want them to be, their concentration needs to be at the top.”
He also thanked the home supporters who turned out in numbers, saying their presence lifted the team and urging them to come again in full voice for their next match.
The Solomon Islands will next face Samoa on Friday at 3pm at the National Stadium, needing a win to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.
By Timothy Inifiri Junior
Solomon Star, Honiara
