The Fijian threat

Sport

By Shailendra Singh

THE French Polynesian national soccer team recently discovered that Fiji may be more of a threat at the 1995 South Pacific Games than earlier perceived.

This was revealed during the team’s three-match Fiji tour in May. The South Pacific champions failed to win any of the matches, including one against a district side. The Polynesians arrived feeling confident after their comfortable 3-0 win over Fiji in the South Pacific Mini Games

final last December.

They returned disappointed

with a 2-2 draw in the first test in Suva on May 23 and a 2-0 loss in Lautoka two days later. The result was an unexpected surprise

for Fiji officials. They had just

expelled six players from the national team on the eve of the first test as punishment for re turning to camp late after being released to represent their dis tricts. French Polynesia has al ways had an upper hand over Fiji. The loss was only its second to Fiji and the first one while on tour in the country.

In its opening match on May 21, the side was held to a 1-1 draw by host Labasa in Vanua Levu, the second largest island in the Fiji group. The visitors had badly wanted to win the match to avenge a 3-1 loss inflicted by Labasa on the 1985 French Polynesia touring party. The 1985 loss was painful, not only because it was to a provincial team but also because prior to that, French Polynesia had a clean slate aganist Fijian teams,

including the Fijian national

team.

French Polynesia can take heart from the fact that Fiji is

always difficult to beat at home.

Even Australia and New Zealand, the regional soccer giants, have been beaten

when touring Fiji.

The French will take further comfort from the fact that they will host the 1995 SPG. And they get a chance to even things up when Fiji makes a reciprocal tour in January next year, seven months before the SPG. Both teams are putting in a lot of preparation for the SPG.

Fiji will be defending the gold medal it won at the 1991 SPG in Papua New en route to scoring a historic 3-1 over

French Polynesia.

French Polynesia

gets soccer scare on recent tour

While it will not be happy with the results achieved in Fiji, French Polynesia made quite an impression on Fijian soccer fans with their stylish game. It played a neater, more-controlled pattern with short passes and sudden breaks

compared to the fast, agressive and kicking pattern seen in Fiji.

In the opening match against Labasa, the Temarri Reynald captained side had little problem breaking through Labasa’s defence. With capable strikers in Jean- Loup Rousseau and Labaste Hiro, who took many shots at goal, French Poly nesia was unlucky not to have scored more often in all three matches.

In Labasa, the heat and the crowd was a bother, according French Polynesia assistant coach, Eric Henry. His team is used to playing at night, under flood

lights. In Labasa, the game was at 2pm and temperatures did not favour the visitors. The bustling host team, spurred on by their vocal 6000 supporters, started gaining the upper hand towards the later stages. It forced a penalty which was successfully converted and almost handed French Polynesia its second defeat if not for some good goalkeeping by Laurent Heinis.

In the first test, it appeared as if French Polynesia was headed for its second loss, being down 2-0 after Fijian striker Radike Nawalu scored twice.

Untiring efforts paid off when the side (Scored twice in six minutes in the last quarter to rescue the match. Fiji defenders paid the price for being too cocky and holding on to the ball, allowing the opposition to make an intercept. From there, French Polynesia’s one-touch football en abled Maheanue Gatien to score.

Reynald, who has played in France and Australia, slotted in the second goal minutes later amid confusion in front of the Fiji goal. In the final test, the genius of Nawalu won Fiji the game.

The slightly built footballer, who comes from Nadroga in the Western part of Fiji, beat Heinis twice more, taking his total to four goals in the series.

French Polynesia suffered the first setback only two minutes into the game. Nawalu’s second goal came after he collected a free-kick and ploughed in from close range. Nawalu, who has also played in Australia, is an old enemy of French Polynesian de fenders, having also scored a goal against them in Fiji’s 1991 SPG win. With his five goals, he has the best record of any Fiji striker

against French Polynesia.

With its win, Fiji has made French Polynesia sit up and take

notice. It has won back some respect following the Mini Games loss.

Its likely that the same set of French Polynesia and Fiji players will be squar ing off in January and at the SPG in August. Officials from both sides indi cated that they do not want to upset the balance and the teams will see little

change.

Barring upsets, the two sides are likely to meet in the SPG final. It will be a much anticipated clash. Both teams have scores to settle against each other. □

The heat is on: French Polynesia failed to beat Fiji in two matches during its May tour there