New Zealand have been crowned OFC U-16 Men’s Champions once again, edging New Caledonia 2-0 in a tense final at the National Stadium in Honiara.
Martin Bullock’s side had to dig deep against the only team to have taken points off them in the group stage. Their defensive strength proved decisive, with goalkeeper Joseph Chalabi finishing the entire tournament without conceding a single goal.
The game’s first real chance came in the 18th minute when John Woldegiorgis saw his effort deflected wide, before Ethan Dyer spurned an opening inside the box. Moments later, a nervy back pass almost gifted New Caledonia forward Darryl Hmaloko a goal, but Chalabi recovered well to deny Nestor Nyikeine at his near post.
New Caledonia threatened again three minutes later, Hmaloko hitting the post with Chalabi beaten. Despite enjoying plenty of possession, New Zealand struggled to break through until four minutes before halftime. A deep cross from Nunez found James Wenceslao at the far post, and he unselfishly squared the ball for Jack Clegg to tap home the opening goal.
The second half saw New Caledonia push for an equaliser, with Hmaloko again going close just after the restart. Clegg almost doubled his tally in the 65th minute, meeting a cross ahead of keeper Sylvain Ipeze, only for his shot to cannon off the crossbar.
Hinoija Wetewea fired a free kick just wide as New Caledonia desperately chased an equaliser, but as it had done all tournament, New Zealand’s defence held firm under late pressure to secure back-to-back titles. New Zealand capped off their effort with Ben Perez-Baldoni volleying home with virtually the last kick of the game to secure the victory.
Both teams have earned their tickets to the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup 2026 in Qatar, along with Fiji who won the third-place playoff against Papua New Guinea.
New Caledonia 0
New Zealand 2 (Jack CLEGG 44′, Ben PEREZ-BALDONI 90+5′)
HT 0-1