Despite still being five days out from the World Cup kick-off, Tahua To’ata stadium hosted an early welcoming ceremony which mixed tradition, rythym and colour before being rounded out by a terrific display of beach soccer by the Tiki Toa.
The evening begain with a musical performance by Hei Tahiti, winners of the traditional dance contest Heiva. More than 100 performers used a mix of the traditional sounds and colours of Polynesian culture and modern dance to create an atmosphere in the stadium that left the crowd ready for more.
The performance was followed by an outstanding display from the home side as they showed Australia and their public just some of the damage they intend to inflict on their opponents at the World Cup.
The Tiki Toa got the action underway early with two goals scored just minutes after the whistle had blown to signal action. They took a three goal lead before Australia pulled one back to end the first period 3-1.
Tahiti wasted no time after the break as they slotted in their fourth just one minute into the period before Australia once again tried to bring themselves back into the game with one of their own. Two goals in quick succession extended Tahiti’s lead to 6-2 before captain and hat-trick hero for the evening Raimana Li Fung Kuee scored another for a 7-3 scoreline.
In the final period Tahiti found the back of the net twice more, the last goal a stunner from Angelo Tchen, to take a 9-2 victory over the Beach Socceroos.
While Australia is not one of the 16 teams who will vie for the World title next week, they proved their quality during the qualifying stages, just missing the cut for a berth at the World Cup.
Tahiti will play their first match against Group A opponents United Arab Emirates on day two of the tournament, with further clashes against Spain and USA standing between them and the quarter finals.

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