Match Report: PNG Hekari 1-2 South Island United

The final fixture of South Island United’s Round 2 campaign kicked off between SIU and PNG Hekari FC, with SIU taking on the hosts in front of a vibrant Port Moresby crowd.

SIU thought they had made the perfect start just five minutes in when Rodwell clipped a well-weighted ball over the top to Fuetz. The forward showed great composure to bring the ball under control and fire a low strike into the bottom corner. However, celebrations were short-lived as the assistant referee ruled Fuetz to be offside, and the goal was disallowed.

That early scare appeared to spark the hosts into life. Hekari pressed aggressively and were nearly rewarded soon after when a high press forced Steven Van Dijk into a hurried clearance. The goalkeeper spilled the ball straight to Hekari’s John Alick, who found himself with a gaping goal; however, the Hekari captain was unable to capitalise as his effort soared over the bar.

The remainder of the first half followed a familiar pattern for SIU. The visitors worked the ball into promising positions and enjoyed positive spells in the final third, but the decisive final pass continued to elude them, preventing clear-cut chances.

The best opportunity of the match arrived in the 33rd minute following a coming together inside the Hekari penalty area. A superb run in behind from Oskar van Hattum drew a shirt pull from his marker, bringing the winger to ground and leaving referee Veer Singh with no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Fuetz stepped up and showed his composure, powerfully driving his penalty into the left corner beyond the outstretched hand of Hekari goalkeeper Pongi to hand South Island United a 1–0 lead.

An end-to-end final ten minutes produced openings at both ends of the pitch, but neither side was able to add to the scoreline. Fuetz’s penalty proved to be the decisive moment of the half, as South Island United headed into the break holding a narrow one-goal advantage.

The hosts began the second half in perfect fashion, drawing level just two minutes after the restart. A well-weighted through ball released Ati Kepo in behind the SIU defence, sending the forward one-on-one with Steven Van Dijk. The goalkeeper did well to rush out and force Kepo wide, but the attacker showed great composure to stay on his feet and square the ball across goal for Rex Naime, who calmly slotted home to make it 1–1 in the 47th minute.

Much like the opening half, both sides enjoyed spells of pressure and created their share of opportunities after the break. However, it was South Island United who looked the more likely to find a decisive goal, consistently working the ball into dangerous areas and calling the Hekari goalkeeper into action on multiple occasions as the visitors pushed for a winner.

A free kick in the 72nd minute nearly handed South Island United the advantage once again. Standing over the ball around 25 yards out, Fuetz opted to go direct and came close to catching Hekari goalkeeper Pongi off guard. His effort beat the keeper but clipped the near post, denying the SIU attacker both a second goal and the chance to restore his side’s lead.

A footrace between SIU skipper and centre-back Christian Gray and Hekari’s John Orobutu ended in controversy in the 82nd minute. As both players went to ground just outside the penalty area, the referee judged Gray to have fouled the attacker. Deemed the last line of defence, Gray was shown his marching orders, despite a VAR review.

Despite being down to ten men, SIU continued to push forward. In the 97th minute of an 11-minute added period, a deep corner from David Yoo found Haris Zeb, who headed the ball back into the six-yard box, landing at the feet of Ollie Van Rijssel. Despite having his back to goal, Van Rijssel attempted a clever backheel that found substitute Rovu Boyers in the middle of the box, who remained calm to slot the ball into the back of the net, reclaiming the lead for South Island United in dramatic fashion.

That would prove to be the final bit of drama in the match, with South Island United doing just enough in the dying minutes to see the game out and secure all three points in a 2-1 victory. The win keeps South Island United in fourth place on 8 points, level with Solomon Kings FC and South Melbourne FC.

‍