Sairusi Nalaubu scored twice for the Digicel National Football team as they beat New Caledonia 2-1 in their first match of the Oceania Qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Bula Boys were leading 1-0 at half-time.
A goal by New Caledonia’s Cedrc Decoire was ruled as offside but Jordan Wetria managed to equalise.
With a minute left before full time, Roy Krishna and Nalaubu combined to secure victory for Fiji, with Nalaubu’s powerful header into the top right corner following Krishna’s delivery from a free kick.
In another Group B match, New Zealand edged Papua New Guinea 1-0.
Fiji’s second match is against New Zealand on Tuesday and they take on PNG on Friday.
Two top teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
The semis are on 27th March while the final will be played on 30th March.
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations
