U17s set to fight back

By HENRY MORABANG
CAPTAIN courageous Ricky Wadunah was concussed in the back end of their first game of the Oceania Football Confederation Under-17 men’s championship, a 3-2 loss to New Caledonia last Saturday in Papeete, Tahiti, but will be out to lead his team against Vanuatu in their second Group A fixture today.
PNG and Vanuatu will be fighting for the first points in the competition at noon today.
PNG coach Harrison Kamake admitted his side were still hurting after their heart-breaking 3-2 loss to New Caledonia, where they conceded the losing goal in injury time, but he said they would use that disappointment as motivation against Vanuatu.
Wadunah from Medebur village, Bogia, Madang, took a blow to the head and went down but still managed to play on and Kamake said the mid-fielder would take his place for today’s crucial clash.
“We won’t change our style,” Kamake said of his side’s approach.
“Our plan of having a compact defence up the middle while looking for counter-attacking opportunities on the edges will continue.
“We’ve got Dopson Noi and Kimson Kapai at the back organising a strong back four, while Ricky (Wadunah) and Emmanuel Simongi wil coordinate our attack and obviously Jonathan Allen is our man upfront.”
He said the side were staying positive and looking forward to facing their fellow Melanesians.
“Vanuatu are definitely a good team,” he said.
“We’ll just have to execute and make the most of any chances we get and defend smartly. It’s all about revisiting the basics and working from there.”
Also seeking redemption after their 1-0 loss to Tahiti, Vanuatu coach Rocky Neveserveth is working to improve the combinations in his side before their second chance at points.
“You could see that we lacked a certain level of preparation but we’ll do everything we can to stay here in the competition as long as possible,” Neveserveth said.
“We haven’t lost our focus; we still have belief.”
He was expecting a more composed and structured game from his side without the intimidation of Tahiti’s home crowd this time around but still believed his side’s weaknesses would be tested by PNG.
“PNG are a tough side to play,” Neveserveth said.
“They have a strong game and we’ll have to be at our best to compete.”
Meanwhile, a face-off between Oceania’s two Francophone nations is sure to fill the stands at Stade Mahina today when hosts Tahiti take on current table leaders New Caledonia on the second day of Group A action in the championship.