Chris Wood

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.

The 24-year-old, who was the youngest member of New Zealand’s 2010 FIFA World Cup squad in South Africa, says playing in the Oceania region is never easy.

“Island football is something you can only experience yourself, people usually don’t realise how difficult it can be until they try it.

“With the heat and the pitches it’s totally different from everything you experienced before as a professional,” Wood says.

“You have to adjust to it and take different measures, but it’s always a great campaign and I’m looking forward to it.”