PM's Cup race still open

The race for a place in the MSG (Melanesian Spear­head Group) Prime Minis­ter's Cup 2026 final remains wide open following two important men's matches at the National Stadium in Suva on Thursday night.

Defending champions Vanuatu and Solomon Islands shared the points in an entertaining 3-3 draw, before New Caledonia defeated Papua New Guinea 2-1 in the sec­ond encounter.

Vanuatu took the lead against Solomon Islands through Andrew Malakai in the 33rd minute, but Don Keana responded in the 45th minute to send the teams into the break locked at 1-1.

Vanuatu captain Tony Kaltack restored the lead three minutes after the restart before Rafa Le'ai equalised for Solomon Islands in the 67th minute.

Jayson Bule put Vanuatu ahead for a third time in the 72nd minute, but Solomon Islands again found a response as Javin Wae struck in the 86th minute to se­cure a point.

In the second match, New Cal­edonia secured their first win of the competition with a 2-1 victory over PNG.

Brice Dahite opened the scor­ing for New Caledonia in the 11th minute before Ati Kepo equalised for PNG seven minutes later.

The teams went into halftime at 1-1 before an own goal by PNG in the 73rd minute gave New Cal­edonia the advantage, which they protected until the final whistle.

The results have made the bat­tle for the top two positions even tighter. Solomon Islands lead with five points, followed by Vanuatu on four. PNG and New Caledonia have three points each, while Fiji remains on one point. Only the top two teams after the round-rob­in stage qualify for the October 3 final.