Going into the finale, three sides still had a realistic chance of taking the title and that remained the case until the dying minutes of both matches – played simultaneously due to the potential significance of the results – but it was the Cook Islanders who held their nerve, defeating Samoa 2-1 as American Samoa lost their grip on the trophy with a last-gasp 3-2 loss against Tonga.
The win means Cook Islands have qualified for the OFC U-17 Championship, which is set to take place in Vanuatu from April 17-27, where they will come up against fellow Oceania nations Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu. The winner will go on to represent the region at the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013.
In spite of their favouritism, it has been a far-from-straightforward path to the title for the champions though and it looked like it would be American Samoa with their name on the trophy as late as just a few minutes out from the final whistles. At that point, Cook Islands were locked at 1-1 with hosts Samoa and proceedings were going largely to plan for American Samoa, who were on course for the win they needed at 2-1 up over Tonga.
But the tournament was to take a dramatic turn in the seconds that followed as Dwayne Tiputoa burst forward to slot home a late winner for Cook Islands at virtually the same moment Hemaloto Polovili was equalising for Tonga on the other field. That pair of strikes meant the title was now going the way of Cook Islands unless American Samoa could snatch a late winner but instead it was Tonga that pounced to emerge victorious, Taniela Vaka’uta finding the net in injury time to give coach Timote Moleni and his charges their first win of the tournament.
It was Cook Islands coach Tuka Tisam who was most elated though, having watched from the sidelines as his team’s title hopes appeared to slip away.
“We’re really delighted, the boys fought really hard. I have so many emotions going through my head at the moment, it’s really crazy,” he said.
“I wasn’t too worried about the other game, we were just focusing on getting the win we needed. It’s a great moment for the boys and for the Cook Islands.”
Samoa, who had a genuine opportunity to lift the trophy themselves if they could post a positive result, had taken the lead when Sue Pelesa headed home a corner in the 23rd minute but Cook Islands kept their chances alive when Takuina Tararo also netted with a header just before the hour mark.
The eventual outcome of the other match meant that a draw would have been enough for Samoa to take the title but they were to be denied through Tiputoa’s late effort. Their cause had not been helped in the 50th minute when Filisi Keni received his marching orders for a second bookable offence.
“We told the boys that this was the game of their lives because we knew if we won we would have a chance of qualifying,” Samoa assistant coach Phineas Young said. “The first half was really good, we told them what to do and they responded but getting one of our players red carded in the first five minutes of the second half was disappointing because it’s hard to play 10 against 11.”
A lack of discipline was to prove just as costly in the other match as American Samoa lost their composure with the trophy in touching distance. A stunning strike from Paia Ipiniu in the opening minute and a fourth goal of the campaign to Sinisa Tua just after the break had put them well in control at 2-0 and coach Junior Mikaele must have been ready to start turning his thoughts to the next stage of the tournament in Vanuatu.
But the double dismissal of captain Rueben Luvu and Paul Collins, in the 71st and 80th minutes respectively, completely changed the complexion of the game as Tonga made use of their numerical advantage to fire in three unanswered goals. Skipper Uasi Talanoa led by example to get the ball rolling in the 71st minute before the dramatic intervention of Polovili and Vaka’uta late on denied American Samoa the glory they thought they had done enough to earn.
“We are really disappointed with the way things finished,” American Samoa technical adviser Ruben Luvu said. “The red cards made a big difference because they scored two goals after we had the second player sent off.”
Tonga were the only side who went in to the final day without a chance of winning the tournament and coach Moleni was pleased with the determination his players showed in refusing to go home without a victory.
“It is good to finish with a win and we are very happy with the performance,” he said. “American Samoa are a good side so it was always going to be a tough game but it was much harder for them after they had the two players sent off. I emphasised to the boys the need to win because we didn’t want to go back to Tonga with three losses.”
In the individual awards, American Samoa midfielder Kaleopa Siligi was named player of the tournament while Cook Islands custodian Keegan Inia earned the golden gloves as the best goalkeeper on show. Polovili and Tua shared the golden boot after both ending on four strikes while Tonga received the Fair Play Award in recognition of finishing with the best disciplinary record.
Match Summary Cook Islands – Samoa click here
Match Summary American Samoa – Tonga click here
Match Day 3 Competition Summary click here
Match Day 3 Disciplinary Summary click here

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