The Futsal Whites have paid tribute to fallen team mate Atta Elayyan in fitting fashion with a comprehensive victory over American Samoa in their opening match of the OFC Futsal Nations Cup.

Goalkeeper Elayyan, who earned 19 caps for the Futsal Whites, was tragically killed in the horrific Christchurch mosque shootings last March but his former colleagues have had to wait until this week to collectively take the court again since his passing.

On an emotional evening at the L’Arène du Sud in Nouméa, the Futsal Whites had far too much class for the tournament debutants, Dylan Manickum leading the way with a four-goal haul while Miroslav Malivuk struck a double in the 9-0 victory.

“It was good to be back out there and obviously Atta was in a lot of our thoughts,” said player-coach Marvin Eakins, who also got on the scoresheet.

“We’re happy to get the win and put in a good performance against a pretty spirited American Samoa. They did well and could have scored a couple of goals, which they would have deserved.”

The Futsal Whites started with a high intensity and raced into a two-goal lead in the opening stages, courtesy of Malivuk and Manickum.

Both players then completed first-half braces before Josh Margetts added another to open up a five-goal cushion for the Kiwis before the break.

Eakins made it six at the start of the second stanza but the American Samoans then defended resolutely to hold New Zealand out until the final few minutes, during which Manickum took his tally to four while Stephen Ashby-Peckham also helped himself to a late strike. 

While the winning margin was considerable in the end, Eakins was impressed with the efforts of American Samoa.

“We didn’t know what to expect but they kept fighting and were disciplined in defence. And on the counter-attack they have the ability to score goals so they’ll be exciting to watch,” he said.

“It’s good to get underway, get the three points and start preparing for the next game.”

The Futsal Whites will now take on Vanuatu this evening in their second match of the OFC Futsal Nations Cup, the winner of which qualifies for the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania next year.

The match kicks off at 7pm (NZT) and live streaming is available via www.oceaniafootball.com

Match Details

American Samoa 0
New Zealand 9 (Miroslav Malivuk 1’, 16’, Dylan Manickum 2’, 13’, 36’, 37’, Josh Margetts 20’, Marvin Eakins 21’, Stephen Ashby-Peckham 37’)
HT: 0-5

Article added: Tuesday 29 October 2019