by Ronald Toito’ona

The Solomon Islands national squad, the defending champions, sent a strong message to their rivals in the MSG Prime Minister’s Cup 2024 with a decisive 4-1 triumph over Vanuatu at Lawson Tama Stadium yesterday.

This win served as redemption after their narrow 1-0 defeat to Vanuatu in Port Vila a few months ago during the World Cup qualifiers. Roared on by a passionate home crowd, the Solomon Islands took control in the first half and never looked back, securing a dominant and well-deserved victory.

Vanuatu head coach Juliano Schmeling acknowledged the team’s struggles, particularly in the first half, where Solomon Islands seized control:

“In the first-half, we didn’t perform really well, especially because it’s the first game. That’s where Solomon Islands capitalised and had more ball possession,” Schmeling explained.

Vanuatu showed improvement in the second half, displaying a better mindset and even managing to score. 

However, a crucial red card disrupted their momentum. Schmeling noted, “Unfortunately, we got the red card — which totally changed our game plan.”

Despite the loss, Schmeling emphasized the importance of the experience for his youthful squad:

“It’s a learning process. It’s also very important to have pretty much half of the group made up of very young players, some 17-year-olds and 19-year-olds playing their first international match.” He added optimistically, “We have a couple of days to analyze, train again, and get ready for the next match against Fiji.”

For the Solomon Islands, this win was more than just a result, it was a revenge.

 Head coach Josh Smith praised his team’s performance.

“I think it’s a credit to the boys. They probably didn’t get what we deserved in World Cup qualifiers. So I’m really, really happy for the team to get the victory today, and some new players got the opportunity as well, and I think they were impressed.”

Rovu Boyers and Don Keana shone brightly in the match, each finding the net twice — once in each half — to help secure the victory.

“For Rovu Boyers to get his first goal — fantastic. Don Keana had a great opportunity to show himself today… He’s a smart kid, and I’m really happy with him.”

Smith also stressed the importance of building squad depth:

“If you just continue to play the same 11 all the time, what happens when somebody goes down? We need to still keep creating depth. I’m definitely happy with the changes today.”

The Solomon Islands will shift their focus to their next match, while Vanuatu will regroup and prepare to face Fiji. 

Smith remains focused on continuous improvement:

“We need to be smart in moments, make sure we don’t give away free kicks. We are a small team, so we can’t give them opportunities for set pieces. But I’m happy with how we’re progressing.”

This victory sends a clear message: the Solomon Islands is looking to reclaim the MSG Prime Minister’s Cup 2024.