Football: Hekari and Tafea lead Pacific charge in pool stages

Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Hekari FC produced a late surge to beat Fiji’s Ba side 3-1 in their tense Group A clash at the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Women’s Champions League in the Solomon Islands on Wednesday.

The win also secures them second spot in their group and keeps their semi-final hopes on track.

Trailing 1-0 until the 71st minute, coach Ericson Komeng said the result showed both resilience and unpredictability of his side after they were forced to dig deep to turn the match around.

"It's not part of the game, it's not part of the plan, but football is unpredictable... the fitness of the girls brought us home,” Komeng said in a post-match interview, adding that being more “clinical” will be the key takeaway moving forward.

Ba opened the scoring in the 33rd minute through Narieta Leba and held their lead into halftime despite sustained pressure from Hekari.

But their momentum shifted after a red card proved costly late in the contest. A second yellow to Sereana Naweni in the second minute of stoppage time reduced Ba to 10 players, allowing Hekari to take control and pile on sustained pressure to close out the match.

Ba FC captain Luisa Tamanitakula praised her side’s “fighting spirit” despite the numerical disadvantage that ultimately swung the contest.

"From the first half when we scored, we kept up with the fight. The girls did really well trying to defend this Hekari team… we know that this team is three-quarters of the PNG national women's team... I must salute the girls, our reserve bench was full of students.

"What changed for us was being a man down. Being a man down could really change everything in the game and for us that did. I thank the girls for the effort... we were firmly in the lead, but then in the dying stages I think we let our guard down, and for us right now, it's back to camp and we look forward to our last pool game."

Players in action during the Hekari FC and Ba FC match. Photo/OFC Media/Phototek

Tafea FC charge home

Vanuatu’s Tafea FC continued their dominant run in Group A with a 6-0 demolition of Henderson Eels FC.

Captain Leimata Simon produced a historic hat-trick, scoring twice in the first half before completing her treble early in the second to become the first Vanuatu club player to achieve the feat in the competition.

Tafea controlled the match from the opening whistle, with Simon scoring in the eighth minute and striking again just before halftime.

After the break, Henderson Eels collapsed under pressure, with defensive errors punished. Liyo Eramol added a fourth before Simon turned provider for substitute Nettie Kalsau’s goal, and another replacement Pindy Erikan sealed the 6-0 result.

Auckland cruise past Puaikura

Defending champions Auckland United FC completed a dominant group stage campaign with a 7-0 win over Puaikura FC to secure their place in the OFC Women’s Champions League semi-finals.

The New Zealand side controlled much of the match, scoring three goals in the first half before adding four more after the break.

Puaikura showed resilience early on, but struggled to cope after goalkeeper Kimberly Uini was forced off injured and Auckland quickly took control.

The result sees Auckland finish unbeaten and top Group B, while Puaikura face Drehu Athletico Club in their final group match.

Upcoming fixtures

The win lifts Tafea FC to the top of Group A on four points, ahead of Hekari Women FC on goal difference. They face Ba Women on Saturday (coverage from 4.45pm NZT), while Henderson Eels FC meet Hekari later that evening (coverage from 7.45pm NZT).

For more information on the 2026 OFC Women’s Champions League, click here.