5 Oct 2017

Sport: Solomons lead the way at OFC Youth Football Champs

7:52 am on 5 October 2017

Solomon Islands thrashed New Zealand 6-1 to finish atop the standings after day one of the OFC Youth Futsal Tournament in Auckland.

The Baby Kurukuru had earlier romped to a massive 18-0 victory over American Samoa in their opening match.

Coach Stanley Puairana was overjoyed with their start to the four-day event.

"We are all very excited," he said.

"We still have three days of hard games left so this win was very important for us and for our country as well. So far our boys are doing very well. We're are all so happy and we're looking forward to our next games."

Raphael Le'ai (C) celebrates one of his 12 goals on day one of the OFC Youth Futsal Tournament in Auckland.

Raphael Le'ai (C) celebrates one of his 12 goals on day one of the OFC Youth Futsal Tournament in Auckland. Photo: OFC via Phototek

New Caledonia also picked up two wins in the men's competition, edging Vanuatu 3-2 before a comprehensive 9-3 victory over Tonga.

Coach Vincent Vasapolli was particularly pleased by the performances after only one month of preparation.

"We were very good. We have only had one month of work together and it was fantastic for us. Two games and two victories - it's perfect for us," he said.

"We are playing Solomon tomorrow so these wins will hopefully be good for our confidence and mentality," he said.

New Zealand lead the way in the women's competition after crushing 10-1 and 12-2 victories over Tonga and Samoa respectively.

New Zealand's Tilly James scored six times on day one.

New Zealand's Tilly James scored six times on day one. Photo: OFC via Phototek

Coach Ronan Naicker was pleased with the first day of action but is focusing on recovery after two physical encounters.

"We're obviously happy with the results. We scored a few goals, there are a few things to work on but you can only be happy with two wins," he said.

"We've got a few injury concerns - some possible concussions - so now it's all about rest and managing recovery against the Auckland team tomorrow."

Samoa are second after beating the Auckland Football Federation side 4-2 in their opening encounter.

Although he was disappointed to see his players drop their heads against New Zealand, Samoa coach Valario Raccuglia was impressed with the effort shown by his fresh-faced squad.

"I'm happy. We only had five sessions together so I think we've done better than I expected. We've got a lot of talent and we've got a lot of good players so we just have to keep working," he said.

Both competition's continue on Thursday morning with Solomon Islands and New Caledonia squaring off in a top of the table clash in the men's competition.