Football

Despite going up against a team that consist of a few A League players, PNG gave its best.

It was in the 30th minute when Jonathan Allen scored the first goal for PNG but Manurewa bounced back and equalized before half time.

In the second half, substitute Abraham Allen scored PNG’s second to put them in the lead.

However, Manurewa had a couple of tricks up their sleeves with a come-from-behind to equalize and then register its third goal in the 88th minute.

The Championship will be held from August 5 to August 18.

Except for new inclusion in Stahl Gubag, Joseph Wawai, Laventine Munuo and Cameron Nuabi, coach Harrison Kamake has retained the bulk of his U-17 team that participated in the OFC U-17 Championship in Tahiti last year. 

The team did well by qualifying for the OFC U-17 Championship semi-final for the first time in the nation’s history and lost to New Zealand.

Donning beards and wigs, they disguised themselves as men so they could watch their team, Persepolis, play rivals Sepidrood at the Azadi stadium in Tehran last Friday.

Images of the women at the stadium have been widely shared on both Persian and English social media.

Although there's no official ban on women going to sporting events in Iran, it is rare for them to attend as they are often refused entry.

Prior to the Islamic revolution of 1979, women were allowed to attend sporting events.

Women have been punished for attending games in the past.

Margaret Aka, from West New Britain Province, is setting the bar for women and girls who are passionate about soccer.

The former international is the first woman in PNG to receive an OFC B Licence. She is also the first woman to coach a soccer team in the 2018 National Soccer League.

So what drove this dynamic but humble woman to greater heights?

“What drives me the most is helping kids to realise their full potential not only in football but life in general,” Aka told Loop PNG.

Kaka, who played most of his career at AC Milan and Real Madrid, revealed his decision in an interview with the Brazilian O Globo channel.

The attacking midfielder won the Italian Serie A with Milan and the 2007 Champions League and collected league and cup titles with Real. He also won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, who he was capped for 92 times from 2002 to 2016, and the Ballon d'Or as best player in the world in 2007.

He was the last player to win the award before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo began their decade-long duopoly at the top of the game.

Men's football is the first of 14 sports to kick off in Port Vila.

Fiji are first up against Tuvalu at midday local time followed by Tonga versus Solomon Islands and New Caledonia against the host nation.

Van2017 CEO Clint Flood said a late rejig was made to the draw following Tahiti's decision to boycott the Games.

"The tournament basically follows a format where the gold medal will be won by the total number of points by the team at the end."

“I think the Telekom S-League is competitive compared to our league back home.

“There’s a lot of football politics going on in PNG and suddenly the NSL in PNG has dropped in terms of its standard.

“A good number of us PNG boys have moved here [to the Solomon Islands] this season and we have benefitted as players but at the same time, I believe we have also helped in improving the standard of the S-League so I’m happy to have helped in this way,” he said.

The 35-year-old has not played since his brief stint with Miami United in 2016 but the Copa America and Confederations Cup champion is eager to make a comeback in 2018.

Compared to countryman and icon Ronaldo at the peak of his career, Adriano never fully fulfilled his potential due to a number of off-field issues.

Abraham - on loan at Swansea City from Chelsea - has played for England at Under-18, U19 and U21 level, but he is eligible for Nigeria through his father.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick had said the governing body was "working on" securing Abraham for the national team.

But in a statement, the 19-year-old said: "I have informed The FA that I remain available for selection for England.

"Contrary to reports in the media I would like to clarify that I have not agreed to switch my national-team allegiance.

Kane scored twice to lead Tottenham to a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.

The 24-year-old England international striker did not score in August but he was at the double on Merseyside as he celebrated his 100th goal for Tottenham.

Pochettino heaped praise on the Premier League's reigning Golden Boot winner, likening him to former Argentina team-mate Batistuta, who was the country's all-time leading scorer before Lionel Messi broke the record last year.