U20s face tough task against Vanuatu

 By HENRY MORABANG

A WELL-rested Papua New Guinea Under-20 soccer team will have to improve their defence if they want to make the top three in of the Oceania World Cup qualifiers in Lautoka, Fiji.

PNG will play Vanuatu today at 4.30pm (Fiji time) after being trounced by New Zealand 5-0 in the opening round last week.

Vanuatu fell 1-0 to NZ in the second round.

That clearly indicates just how much work PNG has to do if they want to produce a positive result against their Melanesian brothers.

PNG coach Wesley Waiwai is pin­ning his hope on goalkeeper Charles Lepani and defenders Arton Yagas and John Ray, who should play a leading role against Vanuatu players.

Lepani, the young Milne Bay goal­keeper, won the hearts of New Zea­land coach Chris Milicich with his heroic reflex saves to stop New Zealand from tallying a cricket score.

Poor finishing proved to be the downfall of PNG as their strikers failed to get the ball past New Zealand goalkeeper Scott Basalaj.

“We moved the ball well and took those five chances. But their goalkeeper had an absolute blinder,” Milicich said of Lepani.

The Waiwai-coached team will be relying on captain and talisman Alwin Komolong to add a finishing touch at the other end and help his side earn their first victory of the tournament.

 “We did not get the result we wanted in the first match against New Zealand and we have had to sit down and work out where we went wrong,” Waiwai said. 

“We will try to fix those areas because we know we need to get better in the next game.”

Vanuatu coach Moise Poida said he watched PNG play on the first day. 

“They (PNG) play a similar style of football to my team, based on keeping the ball on the ground and finding space in the final third to score. 

“I believe we can beat them, they went down to New Zealand 5-0 while we only lost 1-0 and we dominated the match at times, especially in the second half.”