SPORTS

Pressure On, Says Coach

The pressure is on Vodafone Fijian football coach Christophe Gamel as the New Zealand All Whites only need a draw in tonight’s clash in Wellington to move closer to the
28 Mar 2017 11:00
Pressure On, Says Coach
Vodafone national football team: Back (left to right) Kolinio Sivoki, Epeli Saukuru, Taniela Waqa, Osea Vakatalesau, Beniamino Mateinaqara, Remueru Tekiata. Front (left to right) Peniame Drova, Dave Radrigai, Roy Krishna, Setareki Hughes, Kavaia Rawaqa. Photo: OFC Media

The pressure is on Vodafone Fijian football coach Christophe Gamel as the New Zealand All Whites only need a draw in tonight’s clash in Wellington to move closer to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

“I need to win in New Zealand and at the same time I need a win over the second best team of Oceania, which is New Caledonia, so it’s near to be impossible,” Gamel told Radio New Zealand yesterday.

The French national said he was still in the learning process after he took over as coach at the start of the year.

“To be honest I don’t know my team in the way that I don’t know the consistency and the regularity of my team.

“I have listened to my boys and they are really destroyed by the game so let’s see how I can succeed and most of all if they can perform again. This will give me a lot of information in my way to work for the future.”

Gamel has named his 20-member squad for the return clash and has included injured defenders Taniela Waqa and Remueru Tekiata.

The clash will be shown live on Fiji TV at 6.35pm

Fiji: Simione Tamanisau (GK), Avinesh Suwamy, Kavaia Rawaqa, Dave Radrigai, Ilaitia Tuilau, Jone Vesikula, Epeli Saukuru, Setareki Hughes, Roy Krishna, Samuela Drudru, James Hoyt, Remueru, Josateki Tamudu, Rinal Prasad, Osea Vakatalesau, Peniame Drova, Kolinio Sivoki, Taniela Waqa, Vereti Dickson (GK), Beniamino Mateinaqara (GK).

 

KEY’S PREDICTION

Former New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is hoping to see a few more goals out of the All Whites than they managed over the weekend.

The 55-year-old left parliament last week and used his more open schedule to stop in at the All Whites training camp in Wellington yesterday, sharing words of wisdom and encouragement with the squad.

He also had a cheeky prediction that they would better their 2-0 win against Fiji in Lautoka last Saturday when meeting the same opposition at Westpac Stadium tonight, drawing on the Wellington Phoenix’s 5-0 win against the Newcastle Jets at the same venue on Sunday night.

All Whites winger Marco Rojas says, the team will be hoping to match the cheeky prediction of Key of a 5-0 win against Fiji. “They (All Whites) won 2-0 last time, I think here anything is possible, the home crowd could spur them on a bit, maybe it will be like the Phoenix last night, 5-nil.”

That information was met by a chuckle Rojas, who scored one of his team’s goals last Saturday, capitalising on a howler from Fijian goalkeeper Beniamino Mateinaqara.

“We’d love that too…we welcome that pressure,” he said with a smile.

Feedback:  leonec@fijisun.com.fj

 

 



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