Samoa's Under-16 men's national team is using its opening defeat to Papua New Guinea as motivation ahead of its remaining matches at the OFC Under-16 Men's Championship.
Samoa lost 4-0 to hosts Papua New Guinea in its Group A opener on Sunday despite what officials described as a determined performance.
"It was a tough match. PNG came in strong. We just didn't manage to keep our formation," captain Jacum Seilala said after the match.
The Samoa Football Federation said the result did not reflect the team's commitment and effort.
"Our players displayed courage, commitment and determination against a strong host nation," the federation told the Samoa Observer.
