Solomon Islands and Vanuatu walked away with maximum points after two closely fought encounters in the MSG Prime Minister’s Cup 2026 at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva on Monday.
In the opening match, Solomon Islands defeated New Caledonia 2-0, with both goals arriving late in the second half.
The two sides battled through a scoreless opening 45 minutes as New Caledonia kept the Solomon Islands attack at bay.
Solomon Islands finally found the breakthrough in the 76th minute when Rafa Le’ai found the back of the net to give his side a 1-0 advantage.
New Caledonia pushed forward looking for an equaliser, but Solomon Islands sealed the three points deep into stoppage time when Javin Wae struck in the 90+3rd minute.
The second encounter saw hosts Fiji suffer a narrow 1-0 defeat to defending champions Vanuatu.
The Bula Boys and Vanuatu went into the halftime break locked at 0-0 following a competitive opening 45 minutes.
Vanuatu eventually broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, with Bill Kaltfer Kaltack scoring what proved to be the match-winner.
Fiji pushed forward during the closing stages looking for an equaliser, but Vanuatu held firm to secure all three points.
The defeat leaves Fiji with one point from its opening two matches after the Bula Boys drew 3-3 with Solomon Islands in their tournament opener.
Attention now turns to the next round of matches, with Solomon Islands facing Vanuatu on Thursday, September 24, while Papua New Guinea takes on New Caledonia on the same day.
The Bula Boys return to action against Papua New Guinea on Sunday, September 27 at 7pm, before completing their round-robin campaign against New Caledonia on Wednesday, September 30 at 7pm.
The competition is being played in a round-robin format, with the top two teams qualifying for the final on October 3.
RESULTS – MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
New Caledonia 0–2 Solomon Islands
Fiji 0–1 Vanuatu