Having watched the replay between Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, I must say that it was a great game of football, one of the best we’ve seen in many years. Had we converted all our chances, it would have been a completely different story.
I did predict earlier that we have a chance if we play to our strengths. This time, thanks to a strong backline, we saw a game that was less nerve-wracking—highly composed and controlled. In the past, we as fans have had to endure highly pulsating, nerve-wracking moments towards the dying stages, especially with only a one-goal cushion. This time, we controlled the game much better and maintained our structure despite the Solomon Islands mounting pressure and pressing for an equalizer through their subs and threatening runs into the box.
We can attribute this to the presence of Brian Kaltak, who has now earned the nickname ‘Brickwall of Gosford.’ His A-League experience, playing in front of thousands of people throughout the season, was evident from his overall display and the way he carried himself at the Freshwater VFF Stadium. It was as if he was saying, ‘this is my turf, you have no right to come anywhere near me.’
The Solomon Islands strikers, particularly Raphael Lea’i and Tigi Molea, were consistently frustrated for much of the game because they could not break the Vanuatu backline. In terms of our forward line, other than Kency Tangis, we are probably short on an out-and-out striker. This means the responsibility to hit the target was shared between our midfielders playing the 8 and 10 roles. A few chances did come for Bong Kalo, Alex Saniel, and Godine Tenene, but they lacked accuracy. I hope that in the next games, they take a bit more time on the ball.
Huge congratulations to Kency Tangis, who proved he still has it in the tank. Let’s hope Brian’s calmness on the ball can rub off during these few days before they take on the All-Whites on Friday. That game looks set to be the key decider.
Today’s game will be Solomon Island’s last chance to make a statement of intent if they wish to progress further. They have been called the “Samba boys” of the Pacific, but that is just a tag. What transpires on the field is what matters. In tournament football, you might have a higher FIFA ranking, but these often count for nothing, especially when we in Oceania share a very similar footballing landscape.
For Vanuatu, most of these players gallantly defended the Oceania flag six years ago at the U-20 World Cup tournament in South Korea. They gave the Germans and the Mexicans a good run for their money. They were in their early 20s when Vanuatu hosted the Pacific Mini Games in December of 2017. Most were part of that squad that beat Solomon Islands 3-2 at the Port Vila Stadium to take out Gold in men’s football. It was then that we saw the curtain brought down on one of the Pacific’s finest football talents, Solomon Island’s Benjamin Totori. It doesn’t surprise me that we are currently performing better than our Melanesian ‘wantoks’ despite their higher FIFA ranking. A few of that U-20 squad may have fallen off, but most have withstood the pressures and challenges faced by many of our young people today.
One player that could have formed a very good striking partnership is Azariah Soromon, who currently plays in Australia’s second tier with Western Strikers. Unfortunately, he has a bad injury and will be out for a while.
For today’s game, Solomon Islands will give their all to defend their colors. If they can cause an upset against the All-Whites, it will be good for football in Oceania, demonstrating that the gap between them and the island teams is narrowing.
I repeat that Vanuatu has a great chance to go all the way. I say this with measured confidence because the majority of our current players have matured and are playing in their prime.
This slightly edited version by Kiery Manassah appeared in today’s Daily Post
