Courtesy: Oceania Football Web Site


Tahitians and Kurukuru earn shot at World Cup

The FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012 is one step closer for Tahiti and the Solomon Islands after both progressed to the final of the OFC Futsal Championship this evening in contrasting fashion.

Tahiti needed a penalty shoot-out to finally overcome New Zealand after a thrilling 3-3 extra-time draw while the Kurukuru had no such trouble in their comprehensive 13-1 victory over Vanuatu.

There was also an historic moment earlier in the day when newcomers Kiribati earned their first ever win at this competition with a 3-2 success over Tuvalu in the 7th/8th play-off before Fiji pipped New Caledonia to fifth place with an exciting 8-6 triumph.

But the headlines were then stolen by Tahiti and the Solomon Islands, who will now face off tomorrow evening to earn Oceania’s sole spot at the World Cup.

“I don’t know how we have won today, we were quite lucky,” admitted Tahiti coach Heitapu Hunter. “We came sixth last year and now we are in the final – that has always been our dream and it has come true. Anything can happen in a final – I believe you don’t need to think too much, you just have to go for it.”

Hunter’s side had conceded only three goals prior to this match and breaching such a tight rearguard appeared to be the main challenge facing New Zealand coach Matt Chandler and his men. But the Tahitians are not without ability in the attacking third either, a fact the Futsal Whites found out to their cost when a Gaby Kavera goal in the ninth minute had them 1-0 down by the halftime interval.

They were left with an even steeper hill to climb three minutes after the restart when Michel Maihuri put Tahiti two goals ahead.

Daniel Koprivcic finally came up with a response from a Dylan Manickum cross in the 25th minute and New Zealand drew level shortly after when Nathan Robertson swivelled and slipped the ball under goalkeeper Atanui Tetihia in the 29th minute.

Despite both teams putting on plenty of pressure in the remainder of normal time, there was no further score and an extra ten minutes were needed to decide the outcome.

The extra period was just as closely contested as regular time had been but New Zealand managed to find the net again just before the interval when captain Marvin Eakins poked home a Miro Major pass at the far post.

Tahiti were not about to give up their World Cup dream so easily, however, and were back in the game soon after the break, Kavera notching his second to make it 3-3 and set up an exciting finale.

The stage was set for someone to become a hero but one did not emerge at that stage and the result was left to be resolved in the lottery of the penalty shoot-out, during which Tahiti custodian Tetihia became the toast of his team mates with a pair of saves to deny Dylan Manickum and Koprivcic as Tahiti claimed a 4-3 shoot-out win.

“It was just one of those games really,” Chandler said. “We’ve lost by just one penalty shot and you wouldn’t pick a guy like Daniel Koprivcic to be the one to miss. To go out in the semi-final on one penalty is tough but we will have to live with it.”

The margin of victory was nowhere near as slim in the other semi-final as the Kurukuru put on yet another remarkable attacking display to end Vanuatu’s hopes of reaching the final.

The Solomons had won their previous match against Tuvalu 16-0 and, while they were up against a far more accomplished team this evening in Vanuatu, appeared intent on getting close to that figure again. Dickson Kadau's charges were 8-0 up by halftime and went on to score another five in the second half, to the delight of most of the 2000-plus crowd that crammed into Suva's Vodafone Arena.

Captain Elliot Ragomo again led by example with a hat-trick but was outdone by Micah Lea'alafa, who scored four. Moffat Sikwa'ae and Coleman Makau attempted to catch up with them but had to settle for doubles while a Jack Wetney strike and an own goal from the unfortunate Ricky Tuigaloa wrapped up the Kurukuru scoring.

Vanuatu's only response came from Fredy Vava just after halftime and they were never in the contest as the Solomons underlined just how hard it will be for Tahiti to beat them tomorrow.

“I am very proud of my boys, we have worked very hard for this tournament and that is now showing through,” Kadau said. “We played even better than I thought we might - the combinations between our players were at a very high level. We must respect Tahiti because they are very good defensively and we only beat them 1-0 earlier in the tournament. We'll work on our attacking moves to try to find a way around their system.”

Despite their gut-wrenching losses, the tournament is not over for New Zealand and Vanuatu, who will meet tomorrow evening in the 3rd/4th play-off, a match that effectively acts as the curtain-raiser to the winner-takes-all grand final.

Tuvalu - Kiribati Match Summary: click here

New Caledonia - Fiji Match Summary: click here

New Zealand - Tahiti Match Summary: click here

Solomon Islands - Vanuatu Match Summary: click here

Competition Summary: click here

Upcoming matches

New Zealand vs Vanuatu
3rd/4th play-off
Friday 20 May, 5pm local time
Vodafone Arena, Suva

Tahiti vs Solomon Islands
Grand Final
Friday 20 May, 7.30pm local time
Vodafone Arena, Suva





Courtesy: Oceania Football Web Site


Tuvalu 2 - 3 Kiribati


Tuvalu - Kiribati Match Summary: click here


Newcomers Kiribati have written themselves into the record books by coming out on the right sideline of the scoreline for the first time ever at an OFC Futsal Championship.

Pine Iosefa's side faced fellow underdogs Tuvalu in the 7th/8th play-off and upset their more experienced opponents with a 3-1 victory.

Regardless of which way the result fell, a piece of history was always going to be made today as neither side had ever won a match at this event before.

Having competed at two previous editions of the tournament, in 2008 and 2010, Tuvalu went in as warm favourites against the rookies but it was Kiribati who found the target first, to the delight of their small band of supporters inside Vodafone Arena.

Bita Keakea had scored a hat-trick in Kiribati’s last outing, a 22-3 humbling at the hands of Fiji, and had reason to celebrate once again went he put his side on course for an historic result in the 14th minute.

Tuvalu hit back three minutes later through Matti Uaelesi but the scores were not level for long, Borau Taraba pouncing on a parry from Tuvalu goalkeeper Siopepe Tailolo to put Kiribati in front again almost immediately.

It was 3-1 by the 27th minute and again the Kiribati hero was Keakea, who found a way past Tailolo once more to put his side in command and in sight of opening their OFC Futsal Championship account.

The Kiribati cause was not helped when Kireata Sosene was dismissed with three minutes to go but Tuvalu only managed to score once more, through Meauma Petaia with a minute on the clock, as Kiribati held on to celebrate a successful end to a week that has proved trying at times.


Quotes

Tuvalu coach Takiao Vave:
We were really looking forward to getting a win but the boys just weren’t quite there – they didn’t perform at the level they have in the other games. Our passing was in a rush, we just didn’t look up properly when we tried to find someone. Kiribati moved the ball around better than we did and that’s how they managed to win. I’m happy for them though, it’s good to see them get a win.

Kiribati goalscorer Bita Keakea:
We are all very excited about it because we are newcomers. Getting a win in our first time at this tournament is a good achievement. We knew it would be hard to beat Tuvalu because they have been here before - that just shows how well we have done to win this game. We are happy with how we have done across the tournament because we have played as well as we could and scored a few goals. We hope to come back next time if possible.




Courtesy: Oceania Football Web Site


New Caledonia 6 - 8 Fiji


New Caledonia - Fiji Match Summary: click here


Host nation Fiji have bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on a place in the semi-finals with an exciting 8-6 win over New Caledonia in the 5th/6th play-off of the OFC Futsal Championship.

Both sides had disappointing days yesterday – Fiji being denied a passage to the semi-finals by New Zealand’s victory over Vanuatu and New Caledonia drawing their must-win clash with Tahiti to also miss out.

This afternoon’s match offered the chance to regain some pride and it was Fiji who took that opportunity first, going ahead in the third minute through Ratu Dugucagi.

Further goals to Eran Underwood, who struck twice, and Kamal Hassan took their tally to four while New Caledonia replied through Romain Guitton and Ismael Tchovanili, who also hit a first-half double, to make the score 4-3 to Fiji at the break.

Although both teams had missed out on their primary goal of making the semi-finals, they were showing plenty of determination to win this match and the scoreline swayed back and forth in a thrilling second half.

Tchovanili and Dugucagi both completed hat-tricks for their sides – Dugucagi even adding one more for good measure - while Guitton scored again for New Caledonia. Ivann Waishitine and Hussein Sahib were also on target for New Caledonia and Fiji respectively as the hosts narrowly took the win to finish their campaign on a high.


Quotes

New Caledonia coach Eric Michalak:
I was quite surprised that Fiji were in such good condition because they had to play very hard yesterday. I thought they would be tired today but they didn’t seem to be. We played quite well but we gave away too many goals to them. We made a lot of individual errors and paid for them.

Fiji coach Intiaz Khan:
We have competed well in this tournament and have not been outclassed by any other team. We need to progress from here and see what we can do at the championship next year. I hope there will be big plans in place but we will see what happens. I would say to Solomon Islands that they should be prepared because I think all the other teams are improving and this could be the last tournament in which they qualify for the World Cup for a while. If we start preparing now we have a chance of making the next World Cup as we have a long time to get ready.




Courtesy: Oceania Football Web Site


New Zealand 3 - 3 Tahiti


New Zealand - Tahiti Match Summary: click here


Tahiti have become the first side to qualify for the final of the OFC Futsal Championship after a thrilling penalty shoot-out win over New Zealand.

Extra time was required to separate the sides after the scores were locked at 2-2 and then 3-3 following the added period.

Tahiti goalkeeper Atanui Tetihia then became the toast of his team mates with two saves, from Dylan Manickum and Daniel Koprivcic, as the Tahitians won the shoot-out 4-3.

The Heitapu Hunter-coached side had conceded only three goals prior to this match and breaching such a tight rearguard appeared to be the main challenge facing New Zealand coach Matt Chandler and his men.

But the Tahitians are not without ability in the attacking third either, a fact the Futsal Whites found out to their cost when a Gaby Kavera goal in the eighth minute had them 1-0 down by the halftime interval.

They were left with an even steeper hill to climb three minutes after the restart when Michel Maihuri put Tahiti two goals ahead.

The Futsal Whites now needed to score at least twice to keep their hopes of making the final alive – a feat managed against Tahiti only by New Caledonia at this tournament so far – and the odds appeared against them as the well-organised Tahiti defence held firm.

But Koprivcic finally found a way through from a Dylan Manickum cross in the 25th minute and New Zealand drew level shortly after when Nathan Robertson swivelled and slipped the ball under goalkeeper Tetihia in the 28th minute.

Despite both teams putting on plenty of pressure in the remainder of normal time, there was no further score and an extra ten minutes were needed to decide the outcome.

The extra period was just as closely contested as regular time had been but New Zealand managed to find the net again just before the interval when captain Marvin Eakins poked home a Miro Major pass at the far post.

But Tahiti were not about to give up their World Cup dream and were back in the game soon after the break, Kavera notching his second to make it 3-3 and set up an exciting finale.

The stage was set for someone to become a hero but one did not emerge at that stage and the result was then left to be resolved in the lottery of the penalty shoot-out, when custodian Tetihia stepped up to achieve legendary status with his saves.


Quotes

New Zealand coach Matt Chandler:
It was just one of those games really – we were 2-0 down and did well to get back to 2-2 and then went in front. We’ve lost by just one penalty shot and you wouldn’t pick a guy like Daniel Koprivcic to be the one to miss. To go out in the semi-final on one penalty is tough but we will have to live with it. But I thought we played really well and showed a lot of commitment and spirit.


Tahiti coach Heitapu Hunter:
I don’t know how we have won today, we were quite lucky. We came sixth last year and now we are going to the final – that has always been our dream and now it is coming true. I think the fact that I am more experienced as a coach has made a difference because it was my first time at this tournament last year. I knew that if I kept learning we would be able to do better. Anything can happen in a final – I think you don’t need to think too much, you just have to go for it.




Courtesy: Oceania Football Web Site


Solomon Islands 13 - 1 Vanuatu

Solomon Islands - Vanuatu Match Summary: click here


The Kurukuru have booked a meeting with Tahiti in the grand final of the OFC Futsal Championship after sweeping aside Vanuatu 13-1 in the second semi-final this evening.

Earlier today, Tahiti earned their place in tomorrow's final with a penalty shoot-out win over New Zealand after the scores were locked at 3-3 following extra-time.

The 7th/8th play-off this afternoon saw Kiribati earn their first ever victory with a 3-2 success over Tuvalu while Fiji pipped New Caledonia to fifth place with an exciting 8-6 triumph.

But none of the other teams in action today managed to match the speed and skill of the Kurukuru, who put on yet another remarkable attacking display to end Vanuatu's hopes of reaching the final and confirm they will be heavy favourites in the all-important meeting with Tahiti, the winner of which will go through to the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012.

The Kurukuru had won their previous match against Tuvalu 16-0 and, while they were up against a far more accomplished team this evening in Vanuatu, appeared intent on getting close to that figure again.

Dickson Kadau's charges were 8-0 up by halftime and went on to score another five in the second half, to the delight of most of the 2000-plus crowd that crammed into Suva's Vodafone Arena.

Captain Elliot Ragomo again led by example with a hat-trick but was outdone by Micah Lea'alafa, who scored four. Moffat Sikwa'ae and Coleman Makau attempted to catch up with them but had to settle for doubles while a Jack Wetney strike and an own goal from the unfortunate Ricky Tuigaloa wrapped up the Kurukuru scoring.

Vanuatu's only response came from Fredy Vava just after halftime but they were never in the contest as the Solomons underlined just how hard it will be for Tahiti to beat them tomorrow.


Quotes

Solomon Islands coach Dickson Kadau:
I am very proud of my boys, we have worked very hard for this tournament and that is now showing through. We played even better than I thought we might - the combinations between our players were at a very high level. We must respect Tahiti because they are very good defensively and we only beat them 1-0 earlier in the tournament. We'll work on our attacking and some of our moves to try to find a way around their system.

Vanuatu coach Jean-Yves Galine:
It was always going to be very hard but I don't think we made it any easier for ourselves because the boys didn't do what we asked of them. But I am quite happy with how we have done in the tournament overall because I think we have improved a lot. It was just unfortunate we had to meet Solomon Islands today because they are a very good side. We have players who are as good in Vanuatu but they are not strong enough mentally so we need to get better at that side of our game.


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com