FOOTBALL is realizing where you were and where you needed to be.
The sport is all about learning to be better than before.
Given the Bula Boys’ 7-0 drubbing to New Zealand in the semifinal game of the 2026 World Cup Qualifier, the sport seems to be struggling to find its place with the beautiful game.
Fiji’s game against New Zealand isn’t what football is all about.
What is, was displayed flawlessly by the All Whites.
And with Friday night’s attitude, there needs to be a complete overall of the national structure, from training, development and exposure for footballers.
The game sure draws criticism from every spectrum of football known hows.
Understanding hard questions
The hard question is what the country learned after last November’s two draws in Papua New Guinea, against the hosts and New Caledonia, obviously, the New Zealand game tells a story.
Artless as they were then, what changed since, the tactical team failed to understand the competition?
Fiji needed strength, style, and cohesiveness, and the notion, that had they played better opponents in exhibition games, the results would have changed is up for argument.
Given the quality All Whites had rounded up, would the result have changed?
No and why?
New Zealand is in a league of its own, professional in fields of learning and far reaching in football knowledge.
The footballers play trick of trade in Europe, the USA and in the A-League, with a lucrative purse versus the local day workers, who do it out of pride for country.
But that doesn’t suggest New Zealand can’t be beaten, they have been many times in the 1980s, 90s, and the last claim was in 2008.
Fiji lacks tactical and technical lace
Fiji failed in every aspect of the game, maintaining or regaining possession of the ball, under the pressurizing challenge from opponents, restricting the space and decision to assess a situation and to adapt themselves successfully.
The team could not get a string of passes, create and play in space, attack and defend.
The unstructured game plan mirrors itself, setting a new low in modern-day football.
Fiji’s performance on this occasion highlighted the significant gap in experience and skill between the two teams.
While the field was against a much superior team, what twitched footballing nerves was the scoreline.
Fiji couldn’t hold on their own for the 90-minutes.
The results should not be taken with a straight face and heads must roll.
