New Caledonians will test U17 stars

Normal, Sports
Source:

The National, Tuesday 23rd April 2013

 THE Papua New Guinea Under-17 soccer team will have to keep the ball under control if they want to beat New Caledonia today at the Luganville Soccer City Stadium, Luganville, Santo Island, Vanuatu.

Coach Bob Morris said his charges played a similar style of soccer to their opponents and they must wary of the speed at which th3ey played.

 “New Caledonia has a lot of speed so we (PNG) will need to keep the ball well under control,” he said.

Morris admitted he knew PNG would not be able to win the tournament but said it would be great to finish third or fourth in the five-team competition.

With a draw and a win already, the Morris-coached boys appeared to be favourites to win their encounter against Fiji.

But the Fijians had other plans as they broke down the normally structured side to take a 2-0 victory. 

Skipper John Ray was effective in defence but his usual attacks from the back were sorely missed. 

PNG will need to regroup if they hope to compete against this cohesive New Caledonian team. 

With a number of key players rested against the Cook Islands, Kamali Fitialeata’s side intend to play their way to another victory. He said he expected a strong effort from PNG.