Hosts Papua New Guinea will battle against the New Zealand All Whites in the Oceania Nations Cup final tomorrow for a spot in next year's Confederations Cup in Russia.
PNG once again will create history in football when meeting the four-time OFC champion New Zealand.
PNG captain David Muta said reaching the final was a special achievement and a dream come true for football in Papua New Guinea; it paved the way for other greater challenges for football in the country.
“I’m so excited. It was my first time leading the boys from PNG into the final and that means a lot. I think it’s going to be a really big challenge against New Zealand, but we have to stand strong and walk together as a team for the next game,” said Muta.
“A big thanks to all our supporters who have been behind us since day one.”
PNG coach Flemming Serritslev said he is happy with the boys’ performance and playing against a tough four time champion will be a great challenge.
“Even though we had a lot of missed opportunities with the kicks, it is impossible to improve that in two days but we can show that through concentration on the field of play,” coach Serritslev said.
Moreover, the chances of New Zealand in beating the hosts and surprise finalists Papua New Guinea just got much harder as the All Whites will face PNG without a captain.
New Zealand's most important player and talisman up front, skipper Chris Wood, has been ruled out of the OFC Nations Cup final against Papua New Guinea tomorrow because he's got his sister’s wedding to attend.
Wood’s absence is enormous, especially without experienced sharpshooter Shane Smeltz, who was ruled out before it even began.
However, PNG will not take this as an advantage as the game may go either way tomorrow, with All Whites’ Rory Fallon to get his team across the line once again against Muta’s prominent side.