Vanuatu dominated the opening match and eventually secured a 3-2 victory over their hosts at Stade Numa Daly in Noumea.
New Caledonia coaches Thierry Sardo and Pierre Wajoka made several changes to their starting line-up in order to get an idea of the strengths and weaknesses of their wider squad, while Vanuatu stuck with a similar group.
New Caledonia did well, but were left to rue missed opportunities, with three in particular leaving them particularly disappointed with their scoreless loss.
For their part, Vanuatu maintained a high level of performance for the duration of the match and were eventually rewarded when Andrew ran on to a Raoul Coulon pass, rounded the keeper and slotted into an empty net in the 80th minute.
Christopher Andrew has been somewhat of a revelatory find for the Vanuatu side.
He plays his domestic football with Malampa Revivors FC in the Luganville Football Association and unlike the majority of his national teammates, didn’t come through the VFF Academy Programme.
More recently Andrew has played for Erakor Golden Star in Port Vila, which is where he caught the attention of U-23 coach Richard Iwai and VFF President Lambert Maltock.
“I could describe him as a sleeping lion,” Maltock says.
“It is not new for a player from outside Port Vila to come out and shine on the regional stage. Christopher is like Kensi Tangis and Bernard Daniel of Spirit 08 FC.
“People can see that they are very dangerous up the front and when they lose the ball they want to fight hard to win the ball back again.”
For more on New Caledonia football visit www.fedcalfoot.com
For more on Vanuatu football visit www.vanuafoot.vu.