Vanuatu – Kiribati Match Summary click here
But it was far from smooth sailing against the unfavoured Kiribati, who have a comparatively small pool of futsal players to select from and were making their first ever appearance at this event.
Indeed, it was the tiny Pacific Island nation that opened the scoring, the dangerous Kireata Sosene bursting forward to get on the end of a flowing Kiribati move and smashing the ball home past goalkeeper Chickau Mansale in just the third minute.
It was the best start Kiribati coach Pine Iosefa and his charges could have hoped for but the lead wasn’t to last long. Shocked at going a goal down against a side they were expected to beat comfortably, Vanuatu pressed forward straight away and were back on level terms within seconds when Ben Hungai shot across goalkeeper Kaben Ioteba to find the back of the net.
Vanuatu then hit the lead for the first time when experienced campaigner Louis Dominique struck home in the sixth minute and it was 3-1 when Ricky Tuigaloa converted a Fenedy Masauvakalo pull back five minutes later.
Masauvakalo went from provider to goalscorer just before the halftime whistle when he notched the first goal of his OFC Futsal Championship career to make it 4-1 as the teams went into the sheds.
Vanuatu coach Jean-Yves Galine saw his side go further in front shortly after the break when Hungai helped himself to a second and it looked like it could turn into a long afteroon for Kiribati opposite Iosefa.
But Kiribati rallied and defended resolutely to keep Vanuatu out and gave themselves a glimmer of hope in the 33rd minute when Baunteraoi Kaiorake scored his country’s second ever OFC Futsal Championship goal with seven minutes remaining.
Their rowdy fans must have thought they would have more to cheer in the coming minutes but Vanuatu were in no mood to slip down a gear and instead fired in four unaswered goals to wrap the game up.
Masauvakalo notched his second from the penalty spot while Dominique also completed a brace Hungai rounded off his hat-trick. The other goal went to Don Mansale as Vanuatu underlined their potentially title-winning credentials.
They will face a much sterner examination of their abilities tomorrow though when they face hosts Fiji, who have finished runners-up for the previous two years.
Quotes
Vanuatu coach Jean-Yves Galine:
I am happy with the result but not the performance because there is definitely work to be done. I think we need to do better in front of goal. We created a lot of chances but didn’t take them all. We can’t afford to do the same against Fiji and New Zealand because they will be another step up. I think we are good enough to win the tournament but the Solomon Islands are the bench mark and we must get to their level.
Kiribati official Tikai Atera:
It is our first time at this tournament and we learned how hard it will be to out-play these teams. We need to learn from this experience and then maybe we will do better next year. Obviously, we will not win the title this year but we just want to play to our potential in all our matches and comeback stronger next time.