The Digicel Fiji Baby Bula Boys are through to the semi-final of the Oceania Football Confederation Under-19 Championship after a hard fought 3-2 win over Vanuatu yesterday. Fiji went into the match needing a draw to make the semis in Tahiti, but went behind early when Sakaria Manipen scored for Vanuatu in the eighth minute. Krishna Samy Jr equalised for Fiji in the 34th minute when his cross was fumbled by the Vanuatu defence and ended up in the back of the net.
Rishal Shankar gave Fiji the lead with a beautiful strike from outside the box, finding the top right-hand corner of the goal as Fiji led 2-1 at half-time. Shankar turned supplier for the third goal as his cross was finished by Veleni Rasorewa, as Fiji held on for the win. Fiji finishes as runner-up and will face the winners of Group B.
The top three teams will qualify for next year’s FIFA U17 World Cup. A win in the semis- will ensure qualification while a loss will give the team another chance to finish third and qualify..