Vanuatu U 20

The Oceania representatives had a bumpy start to their Asian tour, losing 3-2 to the Singapore U-22 national team at Choa Chu Kang Stadium in Singapore on 1 May. Bong Kalo opened the scoring in the 10th minute of the game, giving Vanuatu the early lead, but their hosts evened the score in the 28th minute and followed it up with a second goal just before the half time whistle.

The squad had spent a large period of time together in New Zealand ahead of their departure to Singapore for a series of friendly matches, and on to Korea.

And although there haven’t been a lot of changes, one notable inclusion is central defender Jason Thomas joining the team after competing OFC Champions League duties with his club Erakor Golden Star.

Vanuatu’s goal came in the form of a penalty kick from Bong Kalo in extra time (91 minutes).

Singapore also scored through a penalty in extra time.

Half time scores were nil-all.

As part of their preparations for the upcoming 2017 Under-20 World Cup in South Korea, Vanuatu held a training camp in Singapore.

The camp ended with the third friendly match against Singapore U 20 last night.

The Young Lions won 3-2 in an earlier friendly played on Monday.

The training camp will see the young Ni-Vanuatu playing three matches against the Singapore Under-22 and Under-20 National Teams and the Singapore training camp will be held from 30 April to 8 May 2017.

The Singapore Under-22 National Team will be playing two friendly matches on 1st and 4th May against the Vanuatu Under-20 National Team while the Singapore Under-20 National Team will play in the third friendly match against them on 7th May.

The 24-team FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will take place in South Korea, will be held from May 20 to June 11.

The U-20 Vanuatu team made history in the 2016 OFC U-20 Championship in Vanuatu last year when they became their country’s first team to ever qualify for a FIFA World Cup, and Wilkins was pleased to be able to contribute to their historic campaign.

“My favourite part of the OFC U-20 Championship was when I scored against New Caledonia with a penalty because we ended up winning the game 1-0,” he said.

“It was really cool. I was so proud of myself.”

One makes him look tiny, standing alone on the pitch inside an enormous stadium, while the other sees him climbing a large stone wall with his bare hands. The former professional clearly loves setting himself tough tasks then, and an enormous one awaits him in May at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017.

The Melanesian side will be making their debut appearance att a FIFA World Cup tournament, after finishing runners-up at the Oceania Under 20 Championship in September.

Etienne Mermer's side will take on Mexico in their first match in Group B at the World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, South Korea on May 20.

RNZ reports next up is Venezuela at the same venue three days later, followed by their final group match against European giants Germany at the Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo on May 26.

NutriFit Program founder Dr Nick Kimber led the team through a series of activities at the OFC Academy in Auckland, to introduce the young footballers to steps towards healthier eating habits that will give them the extra edge on the field.

Kimber has experience as a university and fitness educator and a PhD specialising in post-exercise skeletal muscle fat metabolism from Deakin University in Melbourne, as well as a Masters degree from Lincoln University, New Zealand, focusing on nutritional responses during the New Zealand Ironman Triathlon.

The hosts defeated Solomon Islands 2-1 in Port Vila to qualify for their first ever FIFA World Cup tournament, while New Zealand qualified with a 3-1 victory over New Caledonia in the other semi.

Vanuatu Technical Advisor Declan Edge said the team celebrated their achievement on Tuesday night but have moved on and refocused ahead of the final.

RNZ reports Etienne Mermer's side were based at the Ole Academy in Porirua, north of Wellington.

He said the chance to work with top coaches and get regular matches in was just what they needed.

"We didn't win any match but having the matches here is not for the results but for me it's more important that the boys understand the style of play, the way we want them to play. We want the players to learn."