“They showed the tabu soro spirit!”
That’s how Fiji under-16 men’s football coach Sunil Kumar described their 2-1 win against Tahiti in their first group match at the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2025 on Sunday.
He shared those sentiments to OFC Media after their first win in the clash against the Tahitians.
“They never gave up, they showed the tabu soro spirit,” Kumar said.
“We scored early in the first half and then we gave a penalty and it was one-one, so it’s always quite difficult when it’s one-one, and usually the team that scores the equaliser, they become stronger.”
When asked what the first win would mean for the team going forward into the tournament, he said it would mean taming themselves on the field.
“As we all know, the first game is so important. A lot of butterflies in the stomach and to get a win in the first game, lot of energy we have got from this first win,” Kumar said.
“And then defeating Tahiti, we know Tahiti is one of the best teams so lots of positives from this first win for the team.”
The two teams faced off at the Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara, in the Solomon Islands.
Kumar said his side had displayed an excellent performance in their defence and unity as a team.
“As I said, they played as a team. Defensively, we were strong. We knew Tahiti would come out very, very strong,” he said.
“And technically, they are good players, and yes, they gave a good run on the pitch for us, but the boys stuck together.
“They played for each other and yes, it gave us the win – the teamwork.”
The Fiji U16 team will meet Cook Islands in their next pool match tomorrow and then Papua New Guinea on Saturday.