It was a gallant effort by the Fiji soccer team as they went down fighting against the much favoured New Zealand All Whites by a goal to nil.

The Kiwis scored through a rare mistake by Captain Simione Tamanisau in the 9th minute that allowed the Kiwi captain Tommy Smith to have an easy tap in.

In the 33rd minute Fiji could have equalised with a Avinesh Suwamy freekick, but the Kiwi goalie wasn’t going to let one slide in.

Fiji wasted some good chances and dominated the second half but the effort was not good enough to crack the egg.

Coach Juan Carlos Buzzetti praised the boys for the gallant effort and now focuses on the game ahead against the host nations Solomon Islands on Monday.

You can catch this game live on FBC TV.