Fijians make dream start as Henderson Eels suffer heavy OFC Women’s Champions League defeat
BY RICHARD MENANOPO
Fiji’s Ba Women FC have sent an early warning to their rivals after producing a dominant six-goal performance against hosts Henderson Eels FC at the National Stadium last night.
The Fijian side defeated the Solomon Islands representatives 6-0 in their Group A opener of the OFC Women’s Champions League 2026, according to match information released by OFC Media, after controlling the contest from the opening whistle to claim the biggest win in their OFC Women’s Champions League history.
The match was the second fixture of the opening day’s double-header in Honiara, following the earlier encounter between Vanuatu’s Tafea FC and Papua New Guinea’s Hekari Women FC.
Ba Women FC wasted little time making their intentions clear, applying early pressure before Adi Reva opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a well-directed header from a corner kick.
The Henderson Eels struggled to settle into the match as Ba continued to dominate possession and territory, forcing the home side deeper into their own half.
Their task became even harder when a handball inside the penalty area gifted Ba Women a penalty in the 24th minute. Captain Luisa Tamanitoakula stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to double the advantage.
Four minutes later, Koleta Likuculacula extended Ba’s lead to 3-0 after cutting inside from the left flank before finishing off an impressive individual move.
The Eels’ hopes of a comeback suffered another major blow just before halftime when Veronica Tolivaka was shown a red card after committing a foul as the last defender, leaving the home side to play the entire second half with ten players.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Henderson Eels continued to fight, but Ba Women maintained control after the restart and added three more goals to complete a convincing opening victory.
Narieta Leba scored the fourth goal in the 59th minute after using her pace to break through the defence before rounding the goalkeeper and finishing.
Elesi Tabunase added another in the 82nd minute, while Likuculacula completed her brace in the 89th minute to seal a memorable night for the Fijian champions.
The result sees Ba Women FC move straight to the top of Group A after the first match-day with three points, while Henderson Eels FC will now turn their attention towards recovery ahead of their next match.
Ba Women FC will face Hekari Women FC next, while Henderson Eels FC will look to bounce back against Tafea FC, with both matches scheduled for Wednesday.
The OFC Women’s Champions League 2026 is being hosted in Honiara, bringing together the top women’s football clubs from across the Oceania region as they compete for continental honours.
The tournament provides an important platform for women’s football development in the Pacific, with Solomon Islands’ Henderson Eels carrying the hopes of the host nation against some of the region’s strongest clubs.
Photo credit: OFC Media via phototekNZ
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