BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
SOLOMON Islands head coach, Batram Suri, expressed excitement for the XVII Pacific Games 2023 football competition but acknowledges being placed in the “toughest pool” alongside Fiji and Vanuatu.
The women’s football team started their campaign in fine fashion this past weekend, defeating Vanuatu 1-0 in a close match played at Lawson Tama Stadium thanks to a header from Jemina David. The substitute Madeline Arukau was one of the important players who had an impact in the second half.
“It’s not an easy first game when playing a strong team like Vanuatu. Fortunately, we managed to secure our first three points. It’s not easy being in this pool. The pool we are in is not easy. It’s a tough pool,” Suri told local journalists in the post-match interview at the Lawson Tama Stadium.
Suri expressed his satisfaction with the girls’ performance, but he acknowledged that there is still much room for improvement.
Suri expressed his satisfaction with the girls’ performance, but he acknowledged that there is still much room for improvement.
The final group game between the Solomon Islands and Fiji is scheduled to take place at Lawson Tama Stadium on Friday, November 24 at 3 p.m.
“The matchup with Fiji won’t be simple. They are an extremely formidable team to play against, but once more, our goal is to compete.
“We can’t make mistakes against Fiji, so I expect the girls to learn from their mistakes in our next game. Because they can take advantage of our mistakes if we make them,” Suri said.
According to Suri, he wants the players to make sure that each step they take on the field counts for them. Meanwhile, he stated that this week’s starting eleven (11) lineups against Fiji would not see any significant changes.
