The Fiji Kulas will face New Zealand Women’s National Football Team in the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup Oceania Qualifiers on April 12 in New Zealand.
This comes after Fiji suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Papua New Guinea Women’s National Football Team in their final group match at 4R Stadium at Govind Park yesterday, finishing second in the group standings.
Both sides braved the scorching heat and delivered an entertaining contest in the opening 45 minutes.
Fiji and Papua New Guinea displayed strong defensive discipline while creating attacking opportunities, but neither side was able to find the back of the net as the first half ended in a 0-0 deadlock.
The second half continued with the same intensity as both teams pushed forward with pace and creativity.
However, Papua New Guinea began to dominate possession and applied constant pressure in Fiji’s half with their sharp footwork and attacking play.
Their persistence paid off late in the game when forward Meagen Gunemba struck in the 86th minute to score the lone goal and seal a 1-0 victory for Papua New Guinea at full time.
Kulas head coach Nicola Demaine said the match was a tight and physical encounter.
“We are still continuing our journey for the Brazil World Cup. Any team that wants to qualify for the World Cup has to beat New Zealand,” Demaine said.
She added the team faced some unexpected challenges during the match.
“We had some struggles and a few injuries that we were not expecting, but we will keep developing.”
