Weekend Guide 27.5.2016 - Oceania Special - Goodbye 2015/16!

Yes, it's the end of May, and it means that the Weekend Guide will take his break as the season is done.

But don't worry, we would not leave you like this in empty hands - a special guide dedicated to the opening games of the first international tournament this summer – the OFC Nations Cup. All the matches will take place at Sir Johan Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

(All the hours are in CET local time)

Game 1

What? New Zealand – Fiji

When? Saturday, 0800

Why? New Zealand, the dominant national team in Oceania since Australia left to the AFC, try to retain the title after their failure in the previous tournament. Fiji is one of the emerging powers in the continent, after qualifying to the 2015 U-20 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic tournament.

Key Players: In New Zealand squad you can find their hot prospect for the future, Bill Tuiloma, Marseille’s 21 years old midfielder who spent last season on loan to Strasbourg. Iosefo Verevou is just 20 years old but has enough international experience with two goals in the U-20 World Cup.

Pacific Touch:2015 OFC Champions League, the defender of Samoan champions, Lupe ole Soaga can't handle the Fijian runner-ups Ba and their striker Saula Waqa.

Game 2

What? Vanuatu – Solomon Islands

When? Saturday, 1100

Why? In 2004 OFC Nations Cup, Solomon Islands gained a surprising draw against Australia in the final game, which led them to the 2nd place ahead of New Zealand. Vanuatu's football is making a great progress, as their leading team Amicale qualified to the Champions League final twice in last few years. There is certainly a hope that the national team will do the same.

Key Players: Jean Kaltack scored 9 goals in 8 caps as Vanuatu international player, but he well remembered due to his enormous performance with 16 goals while winning 46:0 against Micronesia in the Pacific Games last year. Henry Fa'arodo playing for Solomon Islands since 2002 and he can't be stopped as he’s about to break the caps record for.

Pacific Touch: 2016 OFC Futsal Championship, in the last match against Fiji, the Solomon Islands showed to everyone why they are the Oceania champions 5 times by now.

Game 3

What? Papua New Guinea – New Caledonia

When? Sunday, 0800

Why? The host nation will try to show their skills and win an OFC Nations Cup match for the first time since 1980, under the guidance of the Danish manager Flemming Serritslev. New Caledonia still has memories from their sensational win against New Zealand in the last tournament semifinals.

Key Players: 21 years old Alwin Komolong played for all the youth level teams and is ready for his senior debut cap. He is the only player in his team playing abroad, as he plays for Northern Kentucky University team. As a French Oversea Department, New Caledonia have the midfielder César Zeoula, who plays since 2011 in Stade Lavallois of the French Ligue 2.

Pacific Touch: 2013 OFC U-17 Championship, it's not so common to see a Papua New Guinea victory, but Nicky Benjamin made his team dream a bit before conceding the equalizer.

Game 4

What? Tahiti – Samoa

When? Saturday, 1100

Why? Four years ago, Tahiti won a historical title, after defeating New Caledonia 1:0. Now they wish to have another sensational tournament. Samoa qualified through the first round, clinching their spot by goal difference over American Samoa and Cook Islands.

Key Players: The Tahitian veteran striker, Steevy Chong Hue, is still here and wants to score 4 goals in this tournament in order to become the national team all-time top scorer. Andrew Mobberly was the leading name in the first round for Samoa, as he also plays for the New Zealand top-tier side, Southern United.

Pacific Touch: 2015 OFC U-20 Women's Championship, Vanuatu leads 3:2 against Samoa, and then, in the 96th minute, Matalena Daniels took this free kick.

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Thumbnail photo by Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)

Weekend Guide 29.1.2016

The new Weekend Guide is here, and this week we will be in the Asian race for the last Olympic qualifying spot, the match of the season in Palestine and the Champions League of Oceania. Yallah!

(All the hours are in CET)

Amateur (Like this guy)

What? Qatar – Iraq (AFC U-23 Championship)

When? Friday, 15:45

Where? Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha

Why? After Japan and South Korea qualified to the Olympic Games, now it's the time to check which team will win the third Asian berth. Qatar played twice at the Olympic tournament, the last one was in Barcelona 1992. Iraq played four times at the Olympic tournament, while their last appearance in Athens 2004 ended with the fourth place.

Key Players: Don't miss Qatari Ahmed Alaa, an Al Rayyan player and the leading scorer of the tournament with 5 goals. Iraqi Mohannad Abdul-Raheem was Asia’s young player of the year in 2012 and the U-19 championship MVP in the same year, definitely one of the future stars of the Iraqi football.

The Repeat: As we said before, the final of the tournament will be Japan and South Korea. Four years ago they met in the bronze medal match of the Olympic Games. What an Asian footy feast it was!

Professional (like this goal)

What? Shabab Al-Khadr – Shabab Al-Khaleel (West Bank Premier League)

When? Saturday, 16:00

Where? Al-Khadr Stadium, Al-Khadr

Why? The match of the season in the Palestinian league will be the main course this weekend. Both teams have their own dreams of winning the title, as after half season Shabab Al-Khaleel lead with 25 points and Shabab Al-Khadr are in 2nd place with 22 points.

Key Players: Sameh Maraaba of Shabab Al-Khadr was in the Israeli prison, as he was suspected to be involved in terror activity. Now he is one of the league’s best scorers with 6 goals. Shabab Al-Khaleel has the league top scorer, Ahmed Abu Nahyeh, who also shined in the national team with 4 international goals in 3 caps.

Patriotic Feeling: Mahran Abu Raya signed two weeks ago for Al-Khadr. He played for many years in Bnei Sakhnin and one of his great goals was against their arch-rivals, Beitar Jerusalem.

World Class (like these goals)

What? Kiwi – Veitongo (OFC Champions League)

When? Sunday, 01:30

Where? CIFA Academy Field, Matavera

Why? Four champions of Oceania’s minor leagues compete for one spot to qualify for the OFC Champions League group stage. Samoan champions Kiwi need a draw to clinch the spot at the next round. Veitongo from Tonga lost their first two matches and they hope to finish the tournament with a decent result.

Key Players: Kiwi will thank their New Zealand forward, Thomas Mosquera, who scored 4 goals in this campaign. Take a look at Veitongo's Anthony Likiliki, who made debut for his national team last year, when he was only 15 years old.

Once in a Lifetime: Since Australia left the OFC, New Zealand is dominating the Champions League. Only once a New Zealand team failed to win the title – In 2010, Waitakere United lost the final against Hekari United from Papua New Guinea.

Weekend Guide 17.4.15

One weekend, three games, Worldwide. All the information.

During the mid-week we all saw the 0:0 draw between Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid, in what was a great chance to take a nap. In order to put things right, BabaGol is taking you to three matches that have a bit more than that match. For a bit of European football we will go to Moldova, for a taste of the Champions League we’ll sail to Oceania and for a hot derby we will ride our camels to Jordan. It’s time to wake up!

(All times are in CET local time)

Friday, 15:00, Dacia Chișinău – Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldovan Divizia Națională)
On Friday, the two biggest clubs of Moldova will play each other. When Dacia Chișinău and Sheriff Tiraspol are about to meet it is more than a simple football rivalry. This match is the clash between Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, and Tiraspol, the capital of separatist Transistria.

Dacia Chișinău became the strongest team in the city 10 years ago, after their city rivals, Zimbru, didn't manage to repeat their achievements from the early days of Moldovan football. They usually finish in the top places of the league, but apart from one title in 2013, they fail against the eternal champions of the league, Sheriff Tiraspol. This season they are in 2nd place, just 1 point behind the surprise leader, Milsami Orhei. The leading players are David Siradze, the veteran Georgian player who has played in Germany, Jaba Dvali, another Gerogian who has won titles in his home nation and Azerbaijan, and Petru Leucă, the team’s leading scorer with 6 goals.

The story of Sheriff Tiraspol is much more complicated. Tiraspol is the capital of Transistria, a region with a Slavic majority, unlike the rest of Moldova, where there is a Romanian majority. Transistria claims independence, but is still not recognized by any nation. The club’s name is derived from the Sheriff Company, which was formed by Victor Gușan, the club’s president. As well as the team, their holdings include a TV station, a chain of petrol stations, many factories and some small companies. It's also claimed that the company  actually governs Transistria, being run mafia-style, and is used to launder money. The team have won the last 13 out of 14 titles, and this season they are in 3rd place, on equal points with Dacia, but behind them due to their head-to-head results. Look out for Ricardinho, the league’s top scorer with 16 goals, Vadim Paireli, who is an under-21 national starlet, and Juninho Potiguar, who joined the team last season and has already scored 17 goals in 29 matches.

This game is a  ‘once in a lifetime’ chance for a title for Dacia. Can they do it? Or will it be another one for Sheriff?

Saturday, 09:00, Amicale – Auckland City (OFC Champions League)
BabaGol is returning to one of its favourite clubs, our friends from Vanuatu, Amicale FC. The OFC Champions League group stage is played in a neutral venue in Suva, Fiji. The three group winners, along with the best runner-ups, will qualify for the semi-finals. The decisive match for Amicale will once again be against the New Zealand and Oceania Champions, Auckland City.

After the  disaster of Cyclone Pam, Amicale will try to give the people of Vanuatu something to be happy about. Amicale won their first two matches against local teams Suva and Western United from the Solomon Islands, and want to qualify for the next stage and go one step further than last year and win the title. In the domestic league, they have won 5 consecutive titles and they are well on the way to the 6th. Look out for Osea Vakatalesau, who scored 2 goals in the tournament, Alphonse Bongnaim, who has played 11 times for Vanuatu national team, and Rijat Shala, a Swiss-Kosovan player who was one of the biggest stars of the U-21 team in 2006, but since then has played in Albania and the lower divisions in Italy.

Auckland City started the tournament in the same way. They also won twice in their first two matches, but a better goal difference put them in the top spot of the group, so a draw will be enough for qualification. They have won the title for the past 4 seasons and their semi-final appearance in FIFA Club World Cup makes them keen to win it once again. Their key players are Ivan Vicelich, who has won 88 caps for the New Zealand national team, Iván Carril, who arrived in January and has already scored 4 goals in 6 league matches, David Browne, a 19 year-old hot prospect from Papua New Guinea, and Marko Đorđević, who won the last season’s Vanuatu championship with Amicale.

Even though the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals are being played again in this week, trust me – the repeat of last season OFC Champions League final will be much more exciting.

Sunday, 18:00, Al Faisaly – Al Wehdat (Jordan Premier League)
Big Arab rivalries always produce great matches and for this very reason, we are going to Jordan. Sunday's "Derby of Jordan" which is being played in the capital Amman, has some strong nationalist characteristics. We already talked about the rivalry between Jordan and Palestine, which is also the main issue of this game. Al Faisaly represents the local  nationalist Jordanians, while Al Wehdat represents the Palestinian refugees.

Al Faisaly is the strongest club in Jordanian football history. They have won 32 championships, 17 cups and two AFC Cups. This season, the team is far from being one of the greatest in the club’s history. With four wins and nine draws, they are in 8th place, just 5 points above the relegation spots. In addition, they have scored just 10 goals and have the worst attack in the league. The coach is Mohamed Azima, a retired Egyptian player who played in Germany for years. The team's main players are Hani Al Taiar, a key player in the U-17 Syrian national team’s appearance at the 2007 U-17 World Cup, Jean Michel N'Lend, who arrived at the club after 3 years with Al Shorta in Iraq, Baha' Abdel-Rahman, who has played 72 times for Jordan national team, and Mohammad Shatnawi, one of the greatest goalkeepers in Jordan.

Al Wehdat has always been behind Al Faisaly, but they have made a lot of progress in recent seasons. Last season they won their 13th title and this season they are close to winning another one, as they lead by 7 points with 4 matches left. The team is based in Amman New Camp, known locally as Wehdat, which was established in 1955 for Palestinian refugees and today is one of the biggest refugee camps in Jordan, with 51,000 registered refugees. The coach, Abdullah Abu Zema, was an Al Wehdat player for 12 years. The biggest names in the team are Amer Shafi, the most capped player in the Jordan national team’s history with 110 caps, Abdelatif Bahdari, who was born in Gaza and plays for the Palestine national team, and Mahmoud Za'tara, a Jordanian-Palestinian who is considered to be one of the biggest hopes of Jordanian football.

Like in our previous visits to the Middle East, you can feel the passion in this match. Nationalism, local prestige and title aspirations. You just couldn't ask for more, could you?