The Solomon Islands have started their campaign with a
1-0 victory over Melanesian rivals Papua New Guinea in the
opening match of the OFC U-19 Men’s Championship 2026 at
the Samoa Football HQ in Apia.
Meeting
at the U-19 Men’s Championship for the first time in 12
years, Wilkenson Siosi scored the game’s only goal between
the neighboring nations, in a Group A contest that the
Solomon Islands otherwise dominated.
Siosi’s goal
came inside the first 16 minutes, racing onto a pinpoint
pass in-behind the opposition defence from captain Jayroll
Patty, and beating Papua New Guinea goalkeeper Ricky Hulana
from close range.
They really should have extended the
deficit with the opportunities they created across the
course of the contest though, bossing possession and forcing
a number of fingertip stops from Hulana, who did his best to
keep PNG in the contest.
Papua New Guinea’s squad
featured five players from the U-16 national team who missed
out on a FIFA World Cup™ spot after losing to the Solomon
Islands at the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship a month
earlier, and they couldn’t make amends here.
One of
those five, Bomcege Basananuc was shown a second yellow card
for a rash challenge retreating into his own half, reducing
Papua New Guinea to ten men and extinguishing their hopes of
a comeback in the 74th minute.
Solomon Islands: 1
(Wilkenson SIOSI 16’)
Papua New Guinea: 0
HT:
1-0
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