OFC News

New Zealand U-17 has ended the three match international programme with a resounding 9-0 destruction over lacklustre Tahiti with Costa Barbarouses producing a four goal haul.

Jacob Mathews and Tyson Brandt scored a brace with Corey Chettleburgh also on target as New Zealand ran amok against a slipshod Tahiti.

Tahiti coach Eddie Etaeta was extremely disappointed with his team's performance particularly after they had started the series so well.

"We have a team with raw potential in a technical and physical sense but our mentality was not there in the third game and that is disappointing."

Etaeta disagreed that three matches was one too many for his side arguing that the opportunity to play and train in another country outweighed the lopsided scoreline.

"This has been a rare chance for a team from Tahiti to be involved in developing in a new environment and the value of this will perhaps be seen later on. Naturally, the final result hurts particularly after we competed so well in the first game and in the first half of the second game."

New Zealand took the lead after just 31 seconds through Barbarouses and the Kiwis never looked back as they raced into a 3-0 lead after just 6 minutes.

Tahiti's afternoon never looked like improving and the goal threat they carried in match one and match two was completely absent as New Zealand ruthlessly locked down the midfield and played rapier through balls in behind their opponents defence almost at will.

Tahiti finished the game with eleven men for the first time in the three match series but that will be scant consolation given the nature of their capitulation.

New Zealand coach Colin Tuaa will have a tough time deciding on a final squad for the OFC U-17 Championship with such an emphatic series win illustrating a strong squad in red hot form.

When these two teams meet controversy, passion and high entertainment are never very far away. Yesterday's card-littered Auckland derby contained everything as a tired Auckland City lifted their weary legs to retrieve a 3-0 deficit against runaway NZFC leaders and bitter rivals Waitakere United.

Nobody could have predicted the frenzied and entertaining second-half - much less the additional 9 minutes injury time - after Waitakere United clinically dismantled their jaded hosts in the opening half hour only to allow the defending Oceania and New Zealand champions to stage an unthinkable comeback of Lazarus proportions.

With both Auckland clubs drawn in Group A of the 2007 OFC Champions League there is bound to be more entertainment for football fans to sink their teeth into next year.

Paul Urlovic's stunning winner from Ross Nicholson's punted clearance nearly 10 minutes into time added on didn't so much puncture Waitakere United's afternoon but send the wheels spinning off into catastrophe.

Having taken the lead through Commins Menapi nearly an hour-and-a-half previously, Waitakere United ran rings around a tired Auckland City outfit more at odds with itself and each other than undertaking the task at hand.

Understandably, Waitakere United took full advantage of Auckland City's audible bickering and seemingly divided ranks and added a second through former Central United alumni Daniel Koprivcic after 24 minutes.

If the game appeared to have slipped beyond Auckland City's reach then an even more severe possibility loomed when Allan Pearce smashed home an unstoppable penalty on the half hour mark to make it 3-0 with Auckland City propped up ready for a humiliating derby defeat.

It was impossible to see Waitakere United taking their foot off Auckland City's throat but that's exactly what they did and it would prove fatal.

Whatsmore Auckland City's response had more sweat and thunder about it than any discernible technical superiority over their West Auckland rivals and their exertions finally bore fruit when Keryn Jordan blasted home a 68th minute penalty.

Paul Seaman's 75th minute header past a stranded Mike Utting from a Neil Sykes freekick threw Auckland City a lifeline as Waitakere stood frozen to the spot.

Within 5 minutes Waitakere United were reduced to ten men when Hoani Edwards was given his marching orders. He was joined moments later by the normally level headed Rupesh Puna. The pendulum had swung back towards Auckland City but there was further drama to come when South African striker Keryn Jordan was also red carded.

Compatriot Grant Young - 1 minute into time added on - then blasted home the equaliser with a bullet header that crashed in off the underside of the crossbar as the Kiwitea Street crowd erupted. Waitakere - who were at one stage contemplating a romping derby victory - were looking desperately for Neil Fox to end the game and ensure a share of the spoils.

Then, staggeringly, Paul Urlovic's looped header disappeared over a forlorn Mike Utting, and into the top corner of the net resulting in a small pitch invasion. referee Meil Fox was jostled by irate Waitakere United supporters and had to be escorted from the field by officials as Auckland City ended 2006 on an extraordinary high and celebrated one of the greatest comebacks in NZFC history.

Tahiti's explosive temperament landed them in hot water at Waikaraka Park yesterday after they were beaten convincingly by a vastly improved and composed New Zealand team.

New Zealand's performance was peppered by outstanding individual contributions by Team Wellington striker Costa Barbarouses and Youngheart Manawatu midfielder Corey Chettleburgh.

Barbarouses - who missed New Zealand's 3-2 victory over Tahiti at the weekend due to NZFC commitments - added composure and guile to the Kiwi frontline providing Tahiti's back four with a headache they never seemed able to remedy as he helped himself to a brilliant hat-trick.

Barbarouses composure was in stark contrast to the jittery performance by Tahiti's back four. While Tahiti retained good shape in general play they struggled with high aerial balls and were once again caught overplaying on the edge of their own penalty area.

New Zealand's first goal came as a direct result of Tahiti's desire to play intricately in front of their own goal when a longer clearance may have produced less destructive results.

The second strike arrived on the stroke of half-time when a New Zealand clearance found Barbarouses surrounded by two defenders. In the hustle and bustle of the resulting melee Tahiti had three chances to clear the danger but on each occasion failed.

The fleet-footed striker then beat the keeper with a stinging finish that illustrated the gap between the two sides.

The impact of conceding two sloppy goals after what had been an evenly contested match could have sunk the Tahitians without trace as New Zealand found a confidence that had been missing at the weekend.

Tahiti got their opportunity to stage a comeback when they were awarded a penalty early in the second-half. With the spotkick converted Tahiti quickly made life difficult for themselves when they were reduced to ten men following an innocuous challenge on halfway.

The refereeing may have been slightly pedantic but the player can have little complaint having been warned once in the 1st half for not retreating 10 yards from the ball before eventually being booked for repeating the offence. Therefore to slide into a challenge, even a relatively soft one, was inviting trouble, particularly at international level.

There was never any danger of Tahiti growing in stature as New Zealand had at the weekend with ten men and their job was made even more difficult when Tahiti lost one of its most influential players to injury.

New Zealand sensed blood and the introduction of Moses Petelo meant the Kiwis were able to create a goal threat whenever they poured forward. It was inevitable that New Zealand would add to their tally and they didn't have long to wait before Tahiti's keeper helped their cause.

After rushing out to take the ball off the toe of a New Zealand player spectacularly, the Tahitian keeper continued to chase down the still loose ball when it would've been better to retreat goalwards.

The second encounter Tahiti's keeper had with another New Zealand player lacked any of the finesse of his first effort and a penalty was awarded and converted by Barbarouses.

The game was effectively over as a contest when Petelo added a superb fourth side-footing home a precise cross from just a few yards off the line.

If Tahiti are to stop New Zealand from dominating them in the third game they will have to adjust their temperament somewhat. Technically the Tahitians have plenty to offer but whether they possess the discipline and mentality to sustain a 90 minute performance against a confident and improving New Zealand remains to be seen.

A-league boss Matt Carroll is convinced a Ricki Herbert-helmed, New Zealand Soccer-supported team can succeed in the A-League and win over a sceptical Kiwi sporting public.

Carroll, Football Federation Australia's head of operations, joined NZ Soccer chief executive Graham Seatter at a media conference in Auckland on Monday to outline the future of the A-League crisis club.

NZ Soccer has taken over the day-to-day management of the Knights on the FFA's behalf until the end of the season after the club's owners, Octagon Sports, had their licence revoked on December 14 due to an "insolvency issue".

Carroll backs NZ Soccer to save Knights

Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has written to Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters regarding visas of the Fiji squad for the 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup qualifiers in NZ next month.

Fiji FA chief executive officer Bob Kumar said he received a copy of the letter sent by OFC to Peters last Friday.

"OFC is urging Peters to advise the New Zealand embassy in Fiji to start processing the visas for the team since there is no ban on internationally sanctioned events,'' he said.

"We're expecting the visas as soon as possible because it is planned for the team to leave on January 8.''

"Fiji FA is hopeful of getting the visas sometime next week.''

"It will be difficult to get seats in the plane for the 25-memebr squad if there is a delay,'' he said.

The OFC qualifiers for the U20 FIFA World Cup in Canada will be held from January 17-31.

The Fiji Football Association (Fiji FA) will kick start the new year with the annual Champion versus Champion series to be contested by Ba and Suva on January 20 and February 3.

The national U20 side will leave for New Zealand on January 8 for the OFC qualifiers to be played from January 20- February 1.

Fiji FA chief executive Bob Kumar said the 2006 National club championship finals will be held in early January after it was postponed this month.

The annual awards night sponsored by Air Pacific will be held in Suva on February 3 and Fiji FA's first council meeting is planned for February 4 at FASANOC House.

On January 29, local champions Ba will host a Solomon Islands side in round one of the OFC club league qualifiers.

Ba travels to Solomon Islands for the return leg on February 19 and on March 22 the men-in-black travel to Tahiti before hosting the side at Govind Park.

Round one of the Pepsi League is scheduled for February 25/26.

The OFC U17 qualifiers will be held in Tahiti from March 22-31.

Fiji FA will host a two-day FIFA Community Workshop on either March 28-30 or April 11-13.

The Girmit tournament will be hosted by Labasa in March but dates will be released later.

Ba will defend the Fiji Bitter FACT title at Govind Park from May 3-6.

Unlike previous seasons the 2007 Battle of the Giants (BOG) will not be played over two weekends.

Ratu Cakobau Park will be the host from June 14-18 followed by the two day FUTSAL IDC on June 25-26.

Fiji Masters veterans tournament will be played on May 28.

The national side under the guidance of new coach Juan Carlos Buzzetti will defend the Pacific Games gold medal in Apia, Samoa from August 25-September 7.

The national team will then feature in the OFC 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers scheduled to start on October 13.

Fiji FA's premier tournament, the Inter-District Championship will be played at the Post Fiji Stadium in Suva over two weekends, round one is scheduled for September 22 and remaining games start on Thursday September 27.

The annual promotion relegation series is scheduled to be played on October 27 and November 3 while the 2007 national club championship (NCC) is scheduled from December 1-8.

Kumar said nominations for the awards night close on January 20.

He said player of the year would be determined by public voting.

In the 2005 awards night, Ba scooped the team of the year award,

Lautoka boss Iqbal Khan was named administrator of the year, schoolteacher Rakesh Varman was top referee, Navua goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau was given the best player award, Ba's Avineshwaran Swamy was young footballer of the year, fair play award went to Suva midfielder Dinesh Mudaliar and former Fiji captain Allen Jesoni was named coach of the year.

For the first time since its launch in 1938 Fiji Football Association's (Fiji FA) premier event the Inter-District Championship (IDC) will be played over two weekends.

Local version of FIFA World Cup, the IDC is an incomparable competition that has a huge fan following not only locally but overseas as well and it has its own status and history in Fiji.

Fiji FA chief executive officer Bob Kumar said the parent body was forced to stage the event in September over two weekends because of the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Over they years IDC has been held in October during the Fiji Day long weekend.

"The Oceania qualifiers are scheduled in the same weekend,'' Kumar said.

"Four games will be played in the September 22-23 weekend and whether they will be played in one venue or at different venues around the country like the Battle of the Giants (BOG) last year will be decided later.''

He said competition in the following week would start on Thursday, September 27 and end with the final on Sunday.

Brazilian football notched up another major achievement when SC Internacional of Porto Alegre overcame Spain's FC Barcelona to win the FIFA World Club Cup Japan 2006. In the process, Inter became the third Brazilian side to taste success in the competition after Corinthians in 2000 and Sao Paulo in 2005.

Internacional make it big in Japan

Ba U15 scooped the South Pacific Junior Soccer championship at Lautoka's Churchill Park after thrashing Australian side Engadine 4-0 in final round robin game.

The win helped the junior men-in-back side finish a point ahead of neighbors Lautoka in the points table during the two-day meet that started on Friday.

Australian side Western Branch won the U13 grade competition after beating Ba 2-1.

Fiji FA chief development officer and former national rep Farouk Janeman said local teams proved more than a handful for the overseas teams.

He said results of the tournament showed that development of football in the country was on right track.

Meanwhile Fiji FA is yet to reschedule the National club championship (NCC) postponed after the military takeover this month.

Story courtesy Fiji Football Association

Auckland City's courageous performance at the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 came to an end with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of AFC champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC but the Kiwitea Street outfit will look back and wonder what might have been after missing several goalscoring opportunities.

Liam Mulrooney and Paul Seaman spurned the best opportunities with the goal begging. Mulrooney volleyed wide in the opening moments after a superb Grant Young cross picked him out at the far post.

Seaman - who covered every blade of grass in Japan in both games - made a lung-bursting run into the Jeonbuk penalty area where he latched onto another Grant Young cross. With Jeonbuk's defence posted missing in action - and with an open goal inviting, Seaman missed the ball at the crucial moment and the chance was gone.

It had all started so well for Auckland City in the opening moments of the game and had they taken the lead Jeonbuk's response would've proved interesting. As it was, Jeonbuk rode Auckland's opening pop-gun salvo and scored on the break through Lee Hyun Seung.

The slick move was reminiscent of Al-Ahly's interplay between Flavio and Aboutrika and left the Auckland City back four stretched beyond breaking point.

If Jeonbuk's rapier thrust on the counter-attack had Auckland City run ragged, their second goal was a tresor bullet that had it not swerved past Neil Sykes could've taken his head off.

The trajectory and pace of the strike by Kim left Ross Nicholson without a hope and proved decisive. Auckland City refused to cave in despite these set-backs and they continued to create chances for themselves.

Substitute Teru Iwamoto took several free-kicks in search of a memorable send-off from his spell as an Auckland City player but the romantic ending of a fairytale exit was not meant to be.

With Auckland legs tiring Jeonbuk took ruthless advantage when Kim was tumbled in the penalty area by Jonthan Perry and Ze Carlo blasted the spot-kick beyond Ross Nicholson for the Korean's third goal.

Auckland City coach Allan Jones was full of praise for his team's performance and insisted they had done New Zealand and Oceania football proud.

Auckland City 0 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC 3 (Hyun Seung Lee 17, Hyeung Bum Kim 30, Ze Carlo 73 pen). Halftime: 0-2.

Cautions: Keryn Jordan 42, Liam Mulrooney 59, Jonathan Perry 72, Neil Sykes 74, Teru Iwamoto 92.

Auckland City: Ross Nicholson (GK), Chad Coombes, Jonathan Perry, Greg Uhlmann, James Pritchett, Liam Mulrooney (Jason Hayne 79), Paul Seaman, Neil Sykes, Bryan Little (Teruo Iwamoto 59), Keryn Jordan, Grant Young (Paul Urlovic 77).

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC: Sun Tae Kwoun (GK), Jin Cheul Choi Sang Hoon Shin 88), Young Sun Kim, Hyun Su Kim (captain/Kwang Hwan Jeon 81), Ji Hyun Jang (Young Sin Kim 76), Jung Kwan Chung, Hyun Seung Lee, Ze Carlo, You Hwan Lim, In Ho Lim, Hyeung Bum Kim.

New Zealand U-17 have drawn first blood in their three match friendly international programme against Tahiti.

With both sides reduced to ten men during an ill-tempered match at Waikaraka Park, Onehunga, the Kiwis fought back from a two-goal deficit to secure a 3-2 win.

Tahiti held the upper-hand at halftime after playing some impressive one-touch passing movements that left New Zealand chasing shadows. But it was Tahiti's desire to play the ball on the deck in tight areas of the pitch that would come back to haunt them later as the mood of the fixture became less technical and more combustible.

The catalyst for this sea-change arrived ten minutes into the second-half when a Tahitian player was sheperding the ball into touch.

Three New Zealand players converged on him resulting in a vicious tackle from behind that left the Tahitian midfield player writhing in agony. The incident occured shortly after a series of lusty and late challenges by players from both teams.

Referee Neil Fox's decision to produce a red card was totally correct but in the maelstrom and confusion it appeared as if he may have dismissed the wrong player.

New Zealand's sense of injustice was palpable and as is so often the case in these situations they were galvanised by adversity.

The perceived injustice of Fox's decision released a previously absent mental and physical energy levels within the New Zealand team.

Moses Petelo - who had missed a couple of good chances in the first-half - found his form in a golden period just after the ordering off and helped himself to a double.

Tahiti's defensive integrity was on critical as the visitors struggled to cope against New Zealand's ten men. New Zealand to their credit closed down Tahiti in their own third on numerous occasions winning the ball and, consequently, punishing them.

Tahiti's temperament soon boiled over as the increasing physical nature of the game threatened to get out of control. A five minute spell of late challenges inevitably led to a red card for the visitors.

Any lingering Tahitian goal threat disappeared along with their midfield lynchpin and there was never a hint that a reduction in personnel would boost their performance as it had done the hosts.

New Zealand created a glut of gilt-edged chances from set-peice and open play but spurned many when it appeared easier to score against flagging opposition.

New Zealand's traditional threat from set-peices failed to produce a goal through a combination of poor finishing and variable delivery.

A goal, though, always looked in the offing with some erratic non-text book Tahitian goalkeeping holding Kiwi interest.

Corey Chettleburgh became the hero for New Zealand when he struck a superb shot on the turn from distance past a hapless and lead-footed Tahitian defence. Tahiti's keeper barely moved as the ball whistled past him and into the back of the net.

Tahiti were able to break on the counter-attack occasionally but with the game stretched the Tahitians were unable to get players forward in support with the Kiwi back four picking off any ball played backwards by isolated Tahitian strikers.

By the end, New Zealand looked in total control of the match as the endorphin release from taking the lead boosted confidence levels.

New Zealand goalkeeper coach Mark Oates said New Zealand acquitted themselves better following the red card and paid tribute to the team's spirit in bouncing back from a two goal deficit.

Spanish and European champions FC Barcelona produced some champagne football in a comprehensive 4-0 win over Club America of Mexico to advance to Sunday's final of the FIFA World Club Cup Japan 2006 in Yokohama.

All that now stands between the Catalans and their first-ever intercontinental crown is Internacional, and judging by today's five-star performance, the Copa Libertadores champions will be hard-pressed to deny Frank Rijkaard's multi-talented outfit.

Barcelona turn on the style