The victories came in contrasting fashion, Tahiti having few problems in sweeping aside Samoa 10-1 before New Caledonia and Vanuatu put on a thrilling show in a match always likely to prove one of the highlights of the tournament. The action swung from end to end as the two attack-minded teams traded blows but it was Les Cagous who eventually triumphed 5-2, thanks largely to a hat-trick from striker Bertrand Kai.
Coach Alain Moizan, under a fair degree of pressure after replacing Pacific Games-winning predecessor Christophe Coursimault, was relieved to finally secure the win and knows how significant it could prove to be.
“It was a very good game and we feel very pleased to have won as it will be an important result in the context of the group,” he said. “It was a tough game to start with but now we are looking forward to having a good recovery and dealing with any injuries we have picked up.”
Tahiti’s earlier victory had left Vanuatu and New Caledonia needing to keep up the pace with a success of their own and both teams played as if that was at the forefront of their minds, to the delight of the thousands of football-mad locals who had gathered.
Les Cagous were the first to edge their noses in front, Kai latching onto a long ball and placing it past advancing goalkeeper Enest Bong in the 32nd minute. The goal was greeted by silence as the majority of the crowd were right behind fellow Melanesians Vanuatu but they had something to cheer shortly after the break when substitute Robert Tasso equalised in the 52nd minute.
Parity did not last long though as Kai lofted a header over Bong for his second of the afternoon just six minutes later. That goal sparked a frenzied spell of action with Vanuatu fighting back again before New Caledonia finally put the game to bed.
The ‘home’ side kept their hopes alive when Jean Nako Naprapol drew them level with a close-range header just after the hour mark but again it wasn’t to last long, the eye-catching Georges Gope-Fenepej tucking away a Kai cross only five minutes later.
But the best goal of the afternoon was yet to come, Kai supplying it with a spectacular swerving shot into the top corner to complete his hat-trick and wrap up the victory in the 76th minute. There was still time for one more, substitute Roy Kayara getting in on the fun late on from just outside the box via a deflection.
“We played well and could have won but we had a problem with the positioning of some players and that’s what cost us,” Vanuatu coach Percy Avock said. “Against a team like New Caledonia everything can go wrong very quickly.”
The earlier game did not have the same degree of excitement but still brought plenty of goals as Tahiti sent out a warning to their fellow semi-final contenders. It was a memorable day for the Tehau family as brothers Lorenzo (four goals), Jonathan (two) and Alvin (two) all scored more than once. Teaonui Tehau, a cousin of the brothers, also got on the scoresheet along with Steevy Chong Hue while Samoa’s consolation was struck by Silao Malo.
“The first game is always important because you need to start well,” Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta said. “It’s incredible to have a set of brothers in the same team and they did a very good job today.”
Samoa coach Malo Vaga now has a difficult task in picking his players up from such a big loss.
“The result is not what we wanted obviously,” he said. “This tournament is a big step up from the stage one World Cup qualifiers and we knew it would be hard for us. But it’s important for our future development to be here and try to compete.”
Attention turns to Group B tomorrow with Fiji taking on New Zealand at 12pm local time and hosts Solomon Islands meeting Papua New Guinea at 3pm local time.
Samoa vs Tahiti Match Summary: Download Here
Vanuatu vs New Caledonia Match Summary: Download Here
Competition Summary: Download Here