It's tight in the middle of the table, and they have only scored the solitary goal in four games, but the Solomon Kings are really one of the better sides to watch.
They've just had 10-15 minutes of sustained pressure against Auckland, pinned them right back. Nothing clear cut, but some decent efforts on goal and half chances. Just feels like they overplay things just a fraction at times though.
Really good passing and movement, a little flair on show as you'd expect from the island sides, and these guys just run all day. If they could put the ball in the net they'd be bloody brilliant!
Only just tuning in. No Raphael Le’ai for Sol Kings? Injured?
His career has been a major disappointment since that famous 5-0 win at the U16 OFC champs over NZ in 2018.
FYI - NZ team that day is below. A few have gone onto bigger things. And then a few lesser so, incl playing in this Pro League comp
New Zealand: 12. Luca Taylor (GK), 2. Max Drake, 4. Adam Hillis, 5. Ryan Verney (11. Matt Garbett 46’), 6. Campbell Strong (c), 8. Jackson Manuel, 9. Henry Hamilton, 14. Oskar Van Hattum, 15. Bradley Wilson (10. Joseph Lee 46’), 16. Sean Bright (Marko Stamenic 60’), 17. Nathan Lobo Coach: Jose Figueira
Substitutes not used: 1. Alex Paulsen (GK), 3. Kris Naicker, 13. Finn O'Connor, 18. Ben Old, 19. Hayden Aish, Harry Bark
2-0 SOL. Went through akl like a hot knife 🔪 through butter 🧈
Great 2nd goal.
As YH said the Kings are a good watch, and will be more used to this day time heat than AFC II. Big Swedish raised Oscar Faulds seems to be sweating heavily. Hotter than Norway for Daniel Normann.
Be interesting to know why they have day time games in this league. Broadcaster request? Lack of suitable flood lighting? Certainly helps the Island teams. The ALM tries to avoid the worst of the Aussie heat with late arvo and evening games.
With pods to come in Fiji and home town Honiara, Kings will be tough to beat.
2-0 SOL. Went through akl like a hot knife 🔪 through butter 🧈
Great 2nd goal.
As YH said the Kings are a good watch, and will be more used to this day time heat than AFC II.
With pods to come in Fiji and home town Honiara, they will be tough to beat.
The return fixture between these two is back in Honiara - Should be a good crowd in for that.
They got like 5-6k + for Solomon U19s v Australia U17s recently.
Absolutely one of the best halves of football I've seen from as island side against a Kiwi side now. I thought the first 30 was pretty good, but the goals just top it off. As others have said, the 2nd was a beauty!
It's all Kings. Their Japanese player Higashide very useful.
And yeah I think the best crowds for this comp will be in Honiara. It's a proper football town.
Kings probably also have one of sounder coaching setups of the Islands teams. Ben Cahn (ex CCM & Roar) knows the region and bought the experienced Jez Lofthouse with him.
Total guesswork but having a selfless Japanese player with a high work rate maybe a great pick up for this Kings side. A proper role model in professionalism. That yes is going with stereotypes.
But watching the Solomons national team they always seemed like a bunch of talented guys, more prone to brief moments of individual brilliance without much thought to a clear team game plan, or putting the team first. From afar Le'ai seemed to have a bit of an ego, obviously being the big bright star in the small Solomons pond.
Would it be fair to say its just been a swarm from the Kings?
Absolutely suffocating the life out of Auckland with the press. It almost looks quite unconventional given it seems they've got two players chasing the ball and closing Auckland down at all times, but it sure has been effective!
Only just tuning in. No Raphael Le’ai for Sol Kings? Injured?
His career has been a major disappointment since that famous 5-0 win at the U16 OFC champs over NZ in 2018.
FYI - NZ team that day is below. A few have gone onto bigger things. And then a few lesser so, incl playing in this Pro League comp
I don't know if you tuned in to the quick pitch side interviews after the match, but if you did you would have heard Ben Cahn mention that a bout of food poisoning/viral illness had swept through the squad this week and they didn't know even 24 hours before the match who would be available to play. As it was they had William Komasi stretched off with what looked like heat exhaustion at about 80 minutes. Not a good look in all honesty.
For Aucklands part Casserley said in his thoughts after the game that their two halftime subs (Normann and Faulds) were vomiting and were in no condition to soldier on and the switch had to be made. Both those lads obviously a very long way from Scandinavia.
It's very tough conditions if you're not used to it, genuinely soul sapping stuff - high humidity and 29/30°C would have felt closer to 35/36°C. Going back on windy.com to check weather details and it was 29°C and high 70's/early 80's for humidity at kickoff. Looking a little into the future for the fourth circuit, the same conditions down the road (and across the Solomon Sea) it was 27°C and 98% humidity for a similar kickoff time. Fudge that.
SIU would be somewhat relieved having played earlier in the week against the same side, but it was pissing down. It also sounds like its a bit cooler for their match this evening against PNG according to the commentators - You do need a little bit to go your way in the islands.
Only just tuning in. No Raphael Le’ai for Sol Kings? Injured?
His career has been a major disappointment since that famous 5-0 win at the U16 OFC champs over NZ in 2018.
FYI - NZ team that day is below. A few have gone onto bigger things. And then a few lesser so, incl playing in this Pro League comp
I don't know if you tuned in to the quick pitch side interviews after the match, but if you did you would have heard Ben Cahn mention that a bout of food poisoning/viral illness had swept through the squad this week and they didn't know even 24 hours before the match who would be available to play. As it was they had William Komasi stretched off with what looked like heat exhaustion at about 80 minutes. Not a good look in all honesty.
For Aucklands part Casserley said in his thoughts after the game that their two halftime subs (Normann and Faulds) were vomiting and were in no condition to soldier on and the switch had to be made. Both those lads obviously a very long way from Scandinavia.
It's very tough conditions if you're not used to it, genuinely soul sapping stuff - high humidity and 29/30°C would have felt closer to 35/36°C. Going back on windy.com to check weather details and it was 29°C and high 70's/early 80's for humidity at kickoff. Looking a little into the future for the fourth circuit, the same conditions down the road (and across the Solomon Sea) it was 27°C and 98% humidity for a similar kickoff time. Fudge that.
SIU would be somewhat relieved having played earlier in the week against the same side, but it was pissing down. It also sounds like its a bit cooler for their match this evening against PNG according to the commentators - You do need a little bit to go your way in the islands.
Only saw about 40 mins of the AFC II game but seemed like 3 water breaks alone in that time. No doubt a big factor in Auckland's troubles today. They were losing the midfield battle (where most of the running is done), a part of the pitch they had bossed in previous matches.
Surely that newly built Chinese funded stadium in Honiara has TV adequate floodlighting. Therefore can play matches in cooler night time slots.
I know home teams worldwide use local conditions to their advantage, but must be some duty of care by OFC to protect players. Especially with the tight 3 games in a week scheduling.
For the second time in the day, a penalty was required to break the deadlock. Oskar Van Hattum was tripped by Godfrey Haro, with Ryan Feutz the man to take the spot kick, firing powerfully past goalkeeper Nabo Pongi.
Feutz almost grabbed a second, with a low drive from the edge of the area which cannoned off the post, before Oskar van Hattum flashed the rebound wide of the target.
Whatever was said at half-time certainly had the necessary impact for the home side and they hauled themselves level within minutes of the restart.
Ati Kepo broke the defensive line, rounding van Dijk and laying the ball back for John Orobulu to tap into an unguarded net and send the locals wild.
If anything, the equaliser seemed to energise South Island United however, as they looked to re-establish their lead.
Feutz continued to be a menace for the PNG Hekari FC backline, going close to his second with a well-hit free-kick that thudded off Pongi’s left-hand post and away to safety.
The pendulum swung back in the favour of the home side as the match entered its final moments. South Island United captain Christian Gray hauled down John Orobulu and after a brief VAR check, referee Veer Singh flashed the red card to reduce the New Zealanders to ten men.
PNG Hekari however were unable to press home their advantage and with only minutes of stoppage time remaining, substitute Rovu Boyers reacted first to a nod-down by Haris Zeb from a corner, finishing from a few yards out to snatch all three points.
A first win in three matches for South Island United lifts them into the top four, whilst PNG Hekari FC remain bottom of the table heading into Round 3.
PNG Hekari FC: 1 (John OROBULU 47′) South Island United: 2 (Ryan FEUTZ (P) 36′, Rovu BOYERS 90+7′)
HT: 0-1
What a finish in Port Moresby! South Island United take home the three points defeating PNG Hekari FC 2-1 🫡🇳🇿
Watch the full replay and highlights on FIFA+ and read the full match report on our website.
PNG Hekari, you have to feel a bit sorry for them. Vs Auckland - conceded twice in added time to lose 2-0. Vs Vanuatu - conceded in added time to draw 2-2. Vs South Island - conceded in added time to lose 2-1.
I’d Iove to know what the assistant van coach was saying in the post match interview. Spoke a lot of ref this. Ref that.
Yes tried to listen in. I think we can say he wasn't happy with the officials. Bislama is the primary national language of Vanuatu, serving as the main lingua franca for communication across the archipelago's diverse population. It is an English-based creole that unites speakers of more than 100 local languages. English and French are also official languages, though Bislama is most widely spoken. The SM coach said they tried to hold onto the ball as much as possible and thought VU's cards were a result of their frustration, at SM hogging the ball. SM coach also complained that the playing conditions were awfully tough
Adam Supyk and Ferugus Gillion start the final match in PNG. Tahiti verus Bula FC
Here are the start lists for the final match of Round 2 🙌🏽🇵🇫🇫🇯
Big game Saturday Sth Melb verus AFC II. Looks like is a late 10pm KO, NZT?
You'd think it would be smart to take that game to SM's Lakeside Stadium to hopefully get a big crowd?? Though that Albert Park part of Melbs maybe already be closed off, as they get ready for the Aus Motor GP early March.
Big game Saturday Sth Melb verus AFC II. Looks like is a late 10pm KO, NZT?
You'd think it would be smart to take that game to SM's Lakeside Stadium to hopefully get a big crowd?? Though that Albert Park part of Melbs maybe already be closed off, as they get ready for the Aus Motor GP early March.
Lakeside Stadium is out of action due to the F1 GP.
The player to watch for the Solomon Kings, and potentially the whole league is their little Japanese midfield playmaker Sota Higashide. He was absolutely awesome against Auckland in PNG.
https://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc-pro-league-round-3-preview/ - fixtures preview with words from all the coaches
https://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc-pro-league-welcome-to-australia/ - overview of the circuit and a bit of history
https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2026/02/19/pressure-on-hosts-as-ofc-pro-leagues-third-round-arrives-in-melbourne/ - round preview from Friends of Football
