The Fiji under-23 side has secured a spot in the final of the Oceania Football Confederation Men’s Olympic Qualifier in Auckland after beating Solomon Islands 3-0 in the semis on Wednesday.
Fiji’s goals came through a double from skipper Etonia Dogalau and Brendan McMullen.
They now face an uphill battle as they brace to take on New Zealand, who whooped Vanuatu 8-0 in the first semi-final.
Meanwhile, Fiji’s goalkeeper Ayidin Mustahib, was named player of the match after making a handful of crucial saves to keep Solomon Islands from adding points to the scoreboard.
Fiji head coach Robert Sherman said composure and ball control on the field played a key factor in their win against Solomon.
“We were able to come out with an early start but we still wanted to do better,” he said. “Coming into the second half, the message to the boys was to maintain their composure on the field.
“They were able to do that and went on to score two more goals for the win.”
While Sherman admits his side still needs to work on a handful of areas on the field, he is proud of how the boys performed right to the last minute.
“They just kept fighting to the very last minute and that’s something I’m proud of.”
Awaiting their battle against the tournament favourites in the final tomorrow, Sherman said they will be going back to their drawing board ahead of the match.
“For now we will need to recover before we head back to the drawing board.”
The final against New Zealand kicks off at 7pm tomorrow.
