A dramatic, 96th-minute equalizer from South Melbourne FC has stunned a sell-out crowd at the National Stadium, clawing back a 1-1 draw against a spirited Solomon Kings FC to conclude Round 4 of the OFC Pro League.
In a performance that combined tactical discipline with raw Honiara passion, the Kings appeared destined for a famous victory on home soil until a chaotic scramble in the dying moments forced a share of the points.
A Transformation in Honiara
Just 15 days ago, Solomon Kings FC suffered a bruising 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Australian side. Tonight, however, it was a completely different story.
Fuelled by an electric, partisan atmosphere, Ben Cahn’s men looked like a team transformed from the opening whistle.
Cahn made three pivotal changes to his lineup, most notably reintroducing the talismanic Raphael Lea’i to the starting eleven. Lea’i almost repaid that faith within the first 20 minutes, forcing a sharp save from South Melbourne keeper Jake Charlston in a breathless, end-to-end opening period.
At the other end, Kings’ goalkeeper Junior Petua stood tall, denying Jordan Swibel in a high-stakes one-on-one.
The Stadium Erupts: Wae Strikes
As the match approached halftime, the National Stadium reached a fever pitch.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, a perfectly weighted corner kick found the towering presence of Javin Wae at the back post. Wae’s commanding header flew past Charlston, sending the capacity crowd into a total frenzy as the Kings claimed a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
The second half saw the Kings grow in confidence, absorbing South Melbourne’s pressure with a grit that was absent in their previous encounter.
Lea’i and Sota Higashide both tested Charlston again with snap shots as the home side looked for a decisive second goal.
VAR Drama and Stoppage-Time Sting
With 12 minutes of second-half stoppage time signaled, the Kings were just minutes away from an iconic OFC Pro League result.
However, the script took a cruel turn in the 90+6th minute. Following a frantic melee inside the Kings’ penalty area, South Melbourne’s Charlie Leech managed to nudge the ball over the line.
Silence fell over the stadium as a lengthy VAR review took place, eventually confirming the goal and deflating the Honiara faithful. Despite South Melbourne midfielder Sebastian Pasquali receiving a second yellow card shortly after, the Kings were left with too little time to find a winner.
Looking Ahead to Fiji
While the late equalizer felt like a defeat, the result marks a massive statement of intent for the Solomon Islands representative side.
After proving they can go toe-to-toe with the region’s giants, the Kings now turn their focus to Round 5 in Fiji this April.
Goal scorer, Javin Wae said they are looking forward to the round 5 fixtures in Fiji and encourages fans to turn up in numbers and cheer up Solomon Kings.
“To our fans in Fiji, get ready. We are coming and we hope to see you there,” Wae said, in a post match interview.
Full Time: Solomon Kings FC: 1 (Javin WAE 45+3’), South Melbourne FC: 1 (Charlie LEECH 90+6′)
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