Future Mataliki fell 1-0 to the Solomon Islands in their final group match, narrowly missing out on a place in this year’s semi-finals. The loss set up a 5th & 6th place playoff against Fiji, who also fell short of a semi-final spot.
Prior to the playoff, head coach Shinsuke Ogiso made two changes to the side that faced the Solomon Islands. The most notable was the inclusion of goalkeeper Ofa Filimone, replacing Tema Taufa’ao, while defender Veilose Ramsay returned to the starting lineup after beginning the tournament in Game 1 but spending the rest of the group stage on the bench.
One of Tonga’s main issues in the Solomon Islands match had been their inability to turn dominance into goals, they enjoyed most of the possession and created numerous chances but couldn’t find the net. That same pattern appeared in the early stages against Fiji, but this time the breakthrough finally came.
The decisive moment arrived in the 70th minute when India-May Mann raced onto a perfectly weighted through ball and slotted home to put Tonga in front. Just minutes later, Fiji spurned their best chance of the game, firing narrowly wide with the goalkeeper beaten.
Fiji had rotated most of their starting XI to give more players game time, but they were second best for much of the first half. Tonga controlled possession and carved out several half-chances, with Mann causing problems for the defence before the break.
A flurry of second-half substitutions gave Fiji more urgency, and they nearly broke the deadlock early in the half, only to be denied by a superb save from Filimone. Tonga responded with chances of their own, forcing the Fiji goalkeeper into action twice in quick succession.
In stoppage time, Fiji tested Filimone again, but the Tongan keeper was equal to it, preserving the lead.
Mann’s well-taken winner ultimately proved decisive, capping a strong all-round performance from Tonga, who secured fifth place, while Fiji had to settle for sixth.
Fiji: 0
Tonga: 1 (India-May Mann 70’)
End.
