2016 PNG soccer’s year

By HENRY MORABANG
SOCCER provided Papua New Guinea’s sports memorable moment for 2016 with the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Port Moresby last month.
But that was not all the code produced as the men’s soccer team for the first time made the final of the Nations Cup, also in Port Moresby pushing defending champions New Zealand all the way only to lose in a shoot-out.
“Participating in the World Cup has now opened our way forward for women’s football in the country,” PNG U20 women’s coach Lisa Cole said, after her side had exited in the group stages.
Conceding 22 goals to the opponents, Brazil (9-0), Sweden (6-0) and Korea (7-1), PNG were courageous against the world’s best.
The team’s only World Cup goal, scored by Nicollette Ageva, provided a ray of light and hope that one day PNG will be able to produce a team capable of holding its own against any opposition in the world.
That goal not only rocked the Sir John Guise Stadium but the country, with Papua New Guineans celebrated the effort put up by their women.
The hosting of a successful and a well-organised World Cup, and finishing second to New Zealand in Nations Cup has set a high benchmark for PNG soccer.
The country must hold its head high for hosting one of the best U20 women’s tournaments on home-soil.
Credit must be given where it is due and such a tournament as the Fifa U20 Women’s World Cup would not have been possible without the effort of individuals not the least of who was Oceania Football Confederation and PNG Football Association president David Chung.
The Fifa local organising committee and the PNGFA did an outstanding job in hosting the world soccer event in the nation’s capital.
The World Cup was in some ways much bigger than the 2015 Pacific Games and a great preparatory event for 2018’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting.
Another highlight of football this year saw PNG finishing second to New Zealand in the Nations Cup.
Apart from U20 Women’s World Cup, the outstanding performance of the PNG senior men’s soccer team, the Kapuls, was in many ways a watershed moment for men’s football – it showed the progress men’s soccer had made over the past decade, particularly since the inception of the National Soccer League.
For the first time in the 43-year history of Oceania football, PNG rose to meet the All Whites and almost pulled off what would have been a famous victory.
New Zealand and PNG could not be separated after 90 minutes, and after another 30 minutes of extra time, before the All Whites prevailed 4-2 in a tense penalty shoot-out in front of a near capacity crowd at the SJGS.
This was the PNG’s first OFC Nations Cup final appearance. New Zealand, a regular face in the finals, won its fifth confederation title.
New Zealand will now represent the OFC in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
PNG coach Flemming Serritslev, who the players dubbed as “White Kapul”, was the man behind the success at the Nations Cup.
With PNGFA congress just around the corner (Dec 28), the soccer fraternity deserves the best person to take the helm and continue to build on a great year for soccer.