PNG sink Fiji to reach playoff

By PATRICIA KEAMO
MEAGAN Gunemba and Ramona Padio’s first-half goals helped Papua New Guinea make history in winning their maiden Oceania Football Confederation Women’s Nations Cup title after beating hosts Fiji 2-1 in Saturday’s final at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
PNG will now represent the region in February against nine other nations from Africa, Asia, South America, North America and Europe in an inter-confederation playoff tournament for the three remaining spots in next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“I keep saying it’s a team of 24 with all the staff,” PNG head coach Nicola Demaine told The National after the win.
“But it’s actually a team of eight million and the whole country has been behind us the whole time, including the prime minister.
“All the messages we’ve been getting have kept us working hard, recovering and preparing, so we can deliver for the country.
“The players sacrificed so much and worked so hard to be successful in the tournament.
“They’ve built an excellent foundation for the playoff tournament.
“We got the win and made history.”
Gunemba and Padio were named as golden boot winners, having each scored five goals while Padio was named as the player of the match – her second for the tournament.
After finishing third in the 2018 edition of the tournament, PNG finally made amends for their 1-5 semifinal loss to Fiji.
The final started at a frantic pace with both sides attack early, but Marie Kaipu’s cross found Gunemba who smashed home the opener in the 17th minute.
Ten minutes later, Padio’s free kick outside the penalty area beat Fijian goalkeeper Seruwaia Vasuitoga before Fiji’s Cema Nasau scored her side’s only goal minutes before the break.
“We had a good plan with different ideas on how we could nullify what Fiji would throw at us,” Demaine said.
“I knew we were in complete control of the game in the first half and the score could have been anything. But I take my hat off to Fiji for making us work for the win, they came at us in the second half.
“But thanks to our defenders and the goalkeeper, the whole team performed together to get the win.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister James Marape congratulated the team for their success, saying it was the “best news” for PNG.
“PNG wanted something to be happy about, especially after all the bad news about election-related violence,” he said.
“That’s exactly what our young women soccer stars delivered.”
Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae also praised the team for their achievement.
“Thank you for lifting our spirits and re-awakening our patriotism, and most importantly, for uniting us all with your win,” he said.
Meanwhile, the team will be given time off to rest and reunite with their families upon arrival tomorrow before they resume preparations for the playoff tournament in New Zealand.
The tournament will be used as a test event for New Zealand, who will host the World Cup alongside Australia.
The nations that have so far qualified for the playoff tournament are Cameroon (ranked 54th in the world), Senegal (89), Chinese Taipei (40), Thailand (43), Haiti (60), Panama (57), Chile (38) and PNG (49). Two more nations from South America and Europe are yet to qualify for the tournament.
“Now we have a chance to showcase these amazing women to the rest of the world in February,” Demaine said.
“It is a great opportunity and these women have earned it thanks to all the support, especially from the PNG Football Association.”