The tournament moves into the semi-final stage tomorrow and there is sure to be plenty of drama on offer as Fiji take on Papua New Guinea before hosts New Zealand meet Vanuatu at Owen Delany Park.
Tickets for match day four can be purchased from the gate and are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for teenagers/over-65s, while ages 12 and under can enter for free.
Here’s a look at the action that’s in store.
Fiji vs. Papua New Guinea – 1:00pm Friday 23 March
These teams appear evenly matched but Fiji go in as warm favourites after coming through pool play undefeated and earning a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over fellow title contenders Vanuatu yesterday. But Papua New Guinea’s path to the semi-finals has not been as taxing – they have played one less group game and have not been in action since Sunday – so will have far fresher legs when the sides run out tomorrow. Fiji deserve kudos for topping a very challenging group – they and Vanuatu forced out the skilful Solomon Islands – and much of their success has been built on a solid rearguard and the ability to find the net from set pieces. Captain and midfield lynchpin Esava Naqeleca – second in the golden boot race with four goals – is a danger in these situations, as is defender Archie Watkins, whose physical presence and calmness on the ball has made him a key figure for coach Imdad Ali. Most of Fiji’s threatening corners and free kicks are delivered expertly by Misaele Draunibaka and Papua New Guinea boss Frank Farina will be wary of restricting his opportunities to send the ball into the box. Farina was far from happy with his charges’ last performance – a 3-0 win over Tonga – and wants to see an improvement in most areas, particularly finishing and ball retention. The former Australian national team coach is likely to have used much of his side’s time off to work on defending at set pieces and Papua New Guinea’s ability to contain Fiji in this area will have a large bearing on the outcome. Fiji have a far better record in Olympic meetings between the pair, winning four of the five clashes – the other a 1-1 draw in 1992 – and trouncing Papua New Guinea 7-1 in the previous edition of this event four years ago.
In their own words
“We are just taking each game at a time, we don’t know too much about Papua New Guinea but I did see them play the other day against New Zealand. They play good football and have an excellent coach so we are expecting them to give us a very tough game.” – Fiji coach Imdad Ali
“I think it’s realistic to say that if you get into the semi-finals then anything can happen. Having gotten this far, we’ll be disappointed not to go on and make the final. You always have a chance in a one-off game so all four teams will have to believe they can actually do it and we’re no different.” – Papua New Guinea coach Frank Farina
New Zealand vs. Vanuatu – 4:00pm Friday 23 March
Hosts New Zealand went into the tournament as favourites and have retained that tag by joining Fiji in going through the group stage unbeaten. As part of the three-team Group B, they have done so by playing one less game but have been impressive nonetheless, scoring 11 goals in their two matches and conceding none. Indeed, the Oly Whites are the only team in Taupo yet to see their defence breached – a fact which outlines the size of the task facing Vanuatu. But no team has managed to keep Vanuatu scoreless thus far and they possess plenty of attacking talent in the likes of Robert Tasso and Jean Kaltack. They are also solid at the other end of the park and have been broken down only by Fiji, who put two goals past them yesterday. Richard Iwai’s men are nicknamed the ‘Dream Team’ in their football-mad homeland but their Olympic dream has the potential to turn into a nightmare tomorrow if New Zealand put on the same sort of performance they did against Tonga in their last outing. The Oly Whites justified their favouritism by completely dominating proceedings and got on the scoresheet 10 times for a timely confidence boost in front of goal. The strikes were shared between seven different scorers, making Iwai’s job of deciding on the danger men to shut down all the more difficult. Striker Greg Draper leads the line well but a major goal threat is also likely to come from the bench in the form of Sean Lovemore, yet to start but the scorer of three goals, including the vital winner against Papua New Guinea. Experienced fullback Ian Hogg picked up a hamstring strain in that match and was rested against Tonga but should be fit for tomorrow. History is on the Oly Whites’ side with Vanuatu yet to earn a positive result against New Zealand at Olympic level after five attempts.
In their own words
“It’s good that it worked out the way it did yesterday because it meant we could watch both of our potential opponents with Fiji and Vanuatu playing each other after our game. Both those sides have proved difficult to play against in the tournament so far so we knew we’d be getting a tough game either way. We are just looking to improve on our sharpness and decision making in the final third.” – New Zealand coach Neil Emblen
“We know New Zealand are the favourites but we have come here to win and will be doing our best to get a result. I have seen them in action and they are a very good team. They are experienced and have a lot of good qualities. The main thing we have to do is improve our finishing.” – Vanuatu coach Richard Iwai

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