The Samoa women's football team created history by reaching the semi-finals in the Oceania Women's Olympic qualifiers, a feat no team has previously done.

Despite losing to the Solomon Islands in their semi-final match, the Samoa Football Federation President and the wider board congratulated the team for their efforts.

"They played their hearts out for our country,"  said Papalii Samuel Petaia, President of the FFS.

He stood in front of the women’s team after the match like a proud parent, acknowledging them for reaching the milestone that they did. Emotions ran high as the women’s team shed tears, shared hugs, and pats on the back with the rest of the board members and the president in response to his heartfelt speech.

Papalii admitted that it was an emotional game to watch, given that he could see the girls in the team gave all they could for Samoa, especially in the first half, where he said the girls put a lot of pressure on the Solomon Islands. 

"It just wasn't our day," said Papalii. 

"At this level for women’s football matches, the standard is high. We can only learn from our mistakes. A split-second mistake, the game is gone. But I'm proud of them," he added. 

He acknowledged that he could see disappointment on some of the girl's faces with the outcome, but he encouraged them to keep their spirits up. 

"We live to fight another day. And I hope our country is proud of our team," he said.

The Samoa women's football team's achievement is commendable, and they have set a standard for women's football in the country. Despite not winning the match, the team had the support of the crowd and the FFS board. 

"I think the girls gave it their all. There was no doubt we had a good team," said Papalii.