Angelina Poida’s first half goal ensured Vanuatu’s best-ever OFC Women’s Nations Cup finish.
Having beaten hosts Fiji in their final group game and only narrowly missing out on the semi-finals, Vanuatu came into tonight’s Fifth place play-off with momentum on their side.
Vanuatu had the ball in the back of the net in the sixth minute, but the goal was disallowed after the ball was judged to have been kicked out of the hands of Tahitian goalkeeper Camille Andre, Leimata Simon bearing down on goal but only able to hit at Andre, then the crossbar, with the rebound bundled by Angelina Poida over the line via the goalkeeper’s grasp.
Undeterred, Vanuatu tried again, with Simon the target. The sharpshooter looking to continue her record of scoring in every appearance this tournament, and the Tahiti defence content to absorb the pressure and try to catch Vanuatu out on a quick counterattack.
Some individual brilliance and flair from Simon almost paid off for the striker, as she attempted to juggle past Julienne Naomi and win a free kick in the process, but she couldn’t get the ball back down quick enough to challenge Andre.
But Vanuatu’s breakthrough came in a moment of magic from Poida in the 28th minute. Latching onto to a long ball from Willine Viti on the right, her first touch deftly took her away from a scrambling Andre, giving her time to set up for an emphatic finish for her second.
Vanuatu searched for a second goal, dominating possession and time in Tahiti’s half, with the excellent Rita Solomon setting the tempo from midfield. But they were frustrated by Tahiti’s compacted defence, which was well-marshalled by Gwendoline Fournier.
Tahiti came agonizingly close to snatching a dramatic equalizer deep in added time when a Tahitian corner was only cleared as far as Kohai Mai, who quickly unleashed a shot goalwards, but Vanuatu’s Amelia Reddy was level to it, securing her third clean sheet of the competition, Vanuatu’s third win, and their best-ever finish in the OFC Women’s Nations Cup.
HT: 0-1
Tahiti: 0
Vanuatu: 1 (Angelina POIDA 28’)
Photo Credit: OFC Media via Phototek