Solomon Islands 1 - New Zealand 1; Papua New Guinea 1 - Fiji 1

The opening match of the final matchday of OFC Group B took place between Papua New Guinea and Fiji in Honiara.  Fiji needed a win in order to avoid elimination from Brasil 2014.  Nearing the quarter hour mark, Fiji jumped on a poor punch by the opposing goalkeeper Leslie Kalai and scored after having a two-header combination in the box.  Alvin Singh headed to a crouching Maciu Dunadamu, who scored Fiji's first goal of the 2014 FIFA World Cup to give his side a 1-0 lead.  Three minutes later, the luckless Osea Vakatalesau chipped over the onrushing Kalai, but the ball drifted wide.  Roy Krishna sent a left-foot bomb just over the crossbar seven minutes later.  The half ended without any further goals, so it was 1-0 Fiji.  Fijian centerback Samuela Vula was his usual self in the first period, replete with crunching tackles and solid clearances.

Just seven minutes after the restart, the Kapuls' Raymond Gunemba botched an open header at the far post which would have tied the match.  Twenty minutes into the half, Eric Komeng got hold of a rebound, but he too shot wide of the Fijian goal.  One minute later, Fiji substitute Apisai Smith toe-poked a rebound to Dunadamu, who shot high of goal.  Smith continued to wreak havoc with the Kapuls' backline, and he force a great save from Kalai.  Six minutes from time, a Papua New Guinea free kick hit an open Kema Jack, who headed the ball home into the corner with some side spin, and the game was equalized.  The crowd in Honiara went crazy because the draw would qualify their Solomon Islands side to the OFC Third Round and eliminate Fiji.  Dunadamu had one final chance to win for Fiji, but his toe-poke was smothered by Kalai as Kalai came sliding forward.  The final score was 1-1.  With the draw, Fiji are eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup with two points earned from three matches as they were chasing a Solomon Islands team that had already amassed four points through two games.

Solomon Islands had advanced to the OFC Third Round thanks to Fiji's result but still had a chance to win Group B later in the day against New Zealand.  The host Bonitos got to play before a capacity crowd in Honiara that was ready for further celebration after already having seen the Bonitos qualify after the earlier 1-1 draw.  After eight minutes, Rory Fallon struck a header at the Bonitos' goal, but Jeffery Bule was there to head it off the line.  The rain began shortly thereafter, but quickly went away.  Leo Bertos sent a nice chipped ball to Chris Wood that beat the offside trap just as the rain stopped falling.  Wood let the ball hit his chest before spinning left and then firing off the volley past goalkeeper Felix Ray to give New Zealand a 1-0 lead.  Benjamin Totori (pictured, yellow) of the Solomon Islands had been rested for the previous game against Fiji with the intent of unleashing him against the Kiwis.  Henry Fa'arodo ran a ball down at the end line and slotted a pass to Totori who blasted into the side netting, giving many in the crowd the illusion of an equalizer.  New Zealand took a 1-0 lead into the half despite resting numerous players for the semifinal stage of the 2012 OFC Nations Cup, including Shane Smeltz, Tony Lochhead, and Ivan Vicelich. 

The second half was the Totori showcase.  Five minutes in, he slalomed around three defenders before threading a ball that crept along the face of goal with no teammates around for the tap in.  Two minutes later, centerback Michael Boxall was forced to intervene to clear the Kiwi lines.  Five minutes after that, Totori slalomed over thirty yards to make his way into the box, at which point he unleashed a shot into the far post upper ninety for the equalizer that sent the crowd into quite a frenzy.  Five minutes after that, Fallon headed to the far post for New Zealand but Ray was there to punch away.  Three minutes on, Kiwi goalkeeper Jake Gleeson (pictured, blue) had to use his knee to block a shot from the onrushing Joses Nawo.  The game slowed considerably for twenty minutes or so, but Adam McGeorge did coax another great save out of Ray.  Deep into stoppage time, the Bonitos looked to be on the verge of a shock victory.  First, Fa'arodo went straight for goal from a short angled free kick from the left, but he blasted too high.  Immediately after regaining possession, Totori again slalmoed  down the left flank before ripping a last gasp shot just wide of the post.  New Zealand escape with a 1-1 draw and top Group B ahead of second-place Solomon Islands.

New Zealand 7 pts IN
Solomon Islands 5 pts IN
Fiji OUT
Papua New Guinea OUT

Goals
Fiji
Maciu Dunadamu 14

Papua New Guinea
Kema Jack 85

New Zealand
Chris Wood 14

Solomon Islands
Benjamin Totori 57

Match Reports:
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/223b4d94-2d17-4bf6-89f0-abd33931a9b8/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/04d7aad7-ea32-4d54-90be-0effb2738cfa/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNcH8tW-3oM&feature=g-all-u (Papua New Guinea v. Fiji)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDIiMvLdZg4&feature=g-all-u (Solomon Islands v. New Zealand)

Tahiti 4 - Vanuatu 1; New Caledonia 9 - Samoa 0

New Caledonia came onto the field at Honiara knowing that a five-goal win over Samoa would be enough to see them through to the OFC Third Round as one of the top two teams in Group A regardless of the later result between Tahiti and Vanuatu.  Les Cagous of New Caledonia were so sure that they would obtain the big result, they rested Bertrand Kai, Oliver Dokunengo, Dominique Wacalie and Rocky Nyikeine for the semifinal round of the 2012 OFC Nations Cup that begins in three days' time.  Perhaps the knowledge that Jacques Haeko was going to be playing gave Les Cagous the comfort they needed.  Ten minutes in, the first goal was found.  Haeko made it 2-0 a minute later.  Two more goals were find around the midway point of the first half, the second on a penalty kick, giving New Caledonia a 4-0 lead.  New Caledonia scored in the final minute of the half, and then Haeko scored his second in stoppage time for a 6-0 halftime lead.

Haeko waited nearly a half hour to finish his hat trick, but he then proceeded to score in both the final minute of regulation and in second-half stoppage time, bringing his personal account on the day to five goals, including the only three of the second half.  New Caledonia win 9-0, which was enough to see themselves through to the OFC Third Round without worrying about the later match.  Samoa are officially eliminated from Brasil 2014.

Vanuatu came out against Tahiti knowing that they would have to win by five goals or more to overtake Tahiti on goal differential and advance over Tahiti into the OFC Third Round.  In spite of this cushion, Tahiti did not come out and defend because they were looking to win Group A and avoid a likely matchup with New Zealand in the semifinals of the OFC Nations Cup.

Tahiti's Angelo Tchen made a couple of saves with his body, including the second with his head, to prevent his goalkeeper from coming under far.  Teaonui Tehau was chopped down violently by Vanuatu's goalkeeper Enest Bong, who was lucky to escape with only a yellow card.  Tahiti converted on the penalty kick for a 1-0 lead.  Robert Tasso nearly equalized for Vanuatu, but his shot hit the outside of the right post.  Later, Tasso flashed a ball past the left post that was something between a direct strike and a through ball.  On a corner kick with eight minutes left in the first half, Tahiti overloaded the front post only to send the kick to the back post where Johnathan Tehau (pictured, white) leapt high to head home for a 2-0 lead.  The score remained stable through the half.

A dozen minutes after play had resumed, Tchen caught up to a ball on the right side of the endline, at which point he passed to Johnathan Tehau, who flicked a ball unsighted to an open Alvin Tehau to give Tahiti a 3-0 lead.  With a quarter hour left, Alphonse Bongnaim botched an open header at the far post off a Vanuatu corner kick, and with that the match seemed to be wrapped up for Tahiti.  Teanoui Tehau got his revenge on Bong with three minutes left when he calmly finished his solo break toward Vanuatu's goal.  Tasso latched onto a through ball in the final minute of stoppage time and finished by nutmegging the goalkeeper for Vanuatu's consolation goal.  This was the final goal of Group A play, and it finalized Tahiti's 4-1 win and progression as a first place team.  Vanuatu are eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Tahiti 9 pts IN
New Caledonia 6 pts IN
Vanuatu OUT
Samoa OUT

Goals
New Caledonia
Roy Kayara 10
Jacques Haeko 11, 45+1, 72, 90, 90+1
Iamel Kabeu 22
Judikael Ixoe 25 PK
Kalas Gnipate 45

Tahiti
Nicolas Vallar 15 PK
Johnathan Tehau 38
Alvin Tehau 57
Teaonui Tehau 87

Vanuatu
Robert Tasso 90+5

Match Reports:
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/e0d0c3ad-80a0-479e-8a2c-618e7576da64/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/f10f107e-88a6-45e5-8194-ff00e6f5916d/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlFDuS2juiM&feature=g-all-u (New Caledonia v. Samoa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbGzoz5Awsg&feature=g-all-u (Tahiti v. Vanuatu)

Fiji 0 - Solomon Islands 0; New Zealand 2 - Papua New Guinea 1

Photo by Photosport employee

The matches of the OFC Second Round rival those of CONMEBOL when it comes to drama this month in qualifying for Brasil 2014.  The All Whites of New Zealand made their second appearance in Honiara in three days, this time against Papua New Guinea.  After only one minute and change had elapsed, Kiwi Jeremy Brockie sent in a cross that was nodded home by Shane Smeltz (pictured, white), giving New Zealand an early 1-0 lead for the second time in as many matches.  However, after a quarter hour New Zealand no longer had control of the match.  Three minutes before time, the Kapuls nearly equalized, but Mike Foster's long shot was tipped over the bar by Jake Gleeson.  The Kiwis lead 1-0 at the break.

Raymond Gunemba missed an open header in the box two minutes after play restarted.  The Kapuls were caught with both fullbacks forward seven minutes later, and Smeltz played a great ball across the box to Chris Wood, who finished for a 2-0 lead.  Smeltz hit the crossbar four minutes after that.  From then on, the Kapuls looked dangerous.  Substitute Neil Hans slid to cross to shoot off a low cross, and the ball floated just over the crossbar, but Hans scored five minutes later from the penalty spot after Tony Lochhead had handled a Hans shot in the penalty area.  New Zealand held on for the 2-1 win.

Hosts Solomon Islands then took to the pitch against Fiji in an exciting rivalry match in Honiara.  This may have been the most up-and-down match of the entire 2014 FIFA World Cup so far.  Fijian striker Osea Vakatalesau missed on a solo breakaway five minutes into the match.   Eight minutes after that, Henry Fa'arodo appeared to have netted the opener for the host Bonitos, but he was ruled offside, which he realized after his celebration had begun.  Four minutes later, Fa'arodo's shot was parried aside by Fiji goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau.  Joe Luwi got onto the rebound but drove his shot right back to Tamanisau.  Ten minutes after that, Pita Bolaitoga reached up with the hand of god to score an illegal goal, for which he received a yellow card.  Vakatalesau came close twice in the next twelve minutes, the second time heading over the crossbar from around ten yards with Bonitos goalkeeper Felix Ray beaten.  Three minutes after that, Joe Luwi's cross found James Naka's head.  The header bounced off the ground and toward the underside of the crossbar, but Tamanisau tipped it over.  Despite twenty-shots (thirteen for Fiji), the first half ended scoreless.

In the second period, old soccer adages were disobeyed.  Thirteen minutes after the whistle to resume was blown, Fiji had two headers in the box off a corner.  Two headers always equals a goal, but Alvin Singh sent the second one off frame.  Three minutes later, Ray smothered Roy Krishna's one-on-one breakaway to keep the hosts level at zero goals apiece.  With three minutes left in the match, Bolaitoga knocked a header home, but he was deemed to be offside.  Two minutes later, Vakatalesau was stonewalled by Ray who then immediately rolled an outlet pass to the right side that led to Nicolas Muri getting into the box, but his shot was pushed away by Tamanisau.  Despite fifteen shots in the second half (eight for Fiji), the match ended at 0-0.

With the tie in the second match of the day, New Zealand secure their progression to the OFC Third Round with one match remaining.  Papua New Guinea are eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but they do have a match left against Fiji on 6 June 2012.  Solomon Islands will host New Zealand in the last match in Group B.  The crazy scenario of the final matchday is as follows: if both New Zealand and Fiji win by exactly one goal and Fiji score exactly one more goal than the Solomon Islands do during Matchday Three, then qualification will be decided by a drawing of lots between the Solomon Islands and Fiji.

New Zealand 6 pts IN
Solomon Islands 4 pts +1 1 goal scored
Fiji 1 pts -1 0 goals scored
Papua New Guinea OUT

Goals
New Zealand
Shane Smeltz 2
Chris Wood 54

Papua New Guinea
Neil Hans 87 PK

Match Reports
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/eb30638e-c428-438c-b428-6b5ae7000f1a/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/2f537946-88bb-4959-a419-b4340039046e/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1643812/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_3

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLM7JLIBxkU&feature=g-all-u (New Zealand v. Papua New Guinea)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMA-4YBMRd0&feature=g-all-u (Fiji v. Solomon Islands)

Tahiti 4 - New Caledonia 3; Vanuatu 5 - Samoa 0

Vanuatu and Samoa faced each other on Matchday Two of the OFC Second Round in Honiara.  Both teams needed to win today to regain traction in the race for a top-two finish in Group A with the loser likely to find themselves eliminated by the night's end.  Samoa had the first chance, but Suivai Ataga's breakaway chip attempt was tipped over the bar by Vanuatu goalkeeper Seiloni Iaruel.  Vanuatu asserted their dominance close to the half hour mark when they knocked home the opener.  Iaruel later took down Silao Malo in the box to concede a penalty, but Iaruel saved Andrew Stefano's penalty kick.  In stoppage time, Vanuatu's Brian Kaltak scored a nice volleyed goal off a corner kick to put his side up 2-0 going into the break.

During the first minute of the second period, Vanuatu scored yet again.  With fifteen minutes left in regular time, Vanuatu found their fourth.  Another Vanuatu goal was found in second-half stoppage time from a header off a short free kick, giving the side five goals from five different players and a 5-0 win, their first of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Tahiti and New Caledonia played another edition of their grudge match. Tahiti showed that their big win against Samoa was no fluke.  Angelo Tchen struck a free kick from midfield on a rope, drawing a corner kick.  Alvin Tehau rose up high above his defenders on the resulting corner kick to head home from one meter to put Tahiti up 1-0.  On Tahiti's next corner kick ten minutes later, Georges Gope-Fenepej put his hands in their air and paid dearly for his insolence, drawing a penalty and a red card in minute 28 after he commited a handball on Tchen's shot in the box.  Captain Nicolas Vallar put away the resulting penalty kick for a 2-0 lead.  But three minutes later, Johnathan Tehau (pictured, white) led a 2-1 break for Tahiti and side-chipped the defender to lay the ball off for an open Lorenzo Tehau to slot home for an unexpected 3-0 lead at halftime.

In the second half, New Caledonia started to run out of players.  In minute 54, Jean Wakanumune was ejected with a straight red card for a rash tackle.  Teammate Marius Bako (pictured, red) picked up a yellow for dissent and then almost got himself thrown out on the very next play with a bad foul; however, Les Cagous remained only two players and three goals down in the Francophone derby.  Being two men down seemed to ignite a fire under Les Cagous, especially since Tahiti's level of play dropped significantly.  Bako picked up a loose ball after Tahitian goalkeeper Mikael Roche punched away, and Bako expertly lofted a chip over Roche and just under the crossbar for 3-1.  Ten minutes from time, Roche made a great initial save from Jacques Haeko's hid, but Haeko slid into the rebound off the post and was able to finish for 3-2, leading to an unexpectedly dramatic final ten minutes.  A silly free kick was given up by Tahiti, but Roche punched away, leading to a break for Tahiti.  Substitute Roihau Degage struck for a fourth goal for Tahiti, sealing the victory 4-2.  Or so it seemed.  A corner kick flew over the hands of Roche and landed at Dick Kauma's feet with an open net before him.  The scoreline quickly became 4-3 with four minutes left in the match.  Despite their rousing comeback with nine men, New Caledonia lose the match 4-3.

All four teams remain alive coming into the final matchday on Tuesday, though Samoa will need an absolute miracle to sneak through.  Expect New Caledonia to defeat Samoa by at least three goals, leaving Vanuatu in a position where they must defeat Tahiti by at least three goals themselves while scoring more goals than New Caledonia do.  Tahiti will advance so long as they do not suffer a massive loss to Vanuatu; even a three-goal loss would see Tahiti advance.  If New Caledonia win by five goals over Samoa, New Caledonia will be safe regardless of the later result.

Tahiti 6 pts +10 14 goals scored

New Caledonia 3 pts +2 8 goals scored

Vanuatu 3 pts +2 7 goals scored

Samoa 0 pts -14

Goals

Vanuatu

Jean Napropol 26

Brian Kaltak 45+1

Dereck Malas 46

Robert Tasso 74

Fredy Vava 90+3

Tahiti

Alvin Tehau 19

Nicolas Vallar 29 PK

Lorenzo Tehau 32

Roihau Degage 84

New Caledonia

Marius Boka 74

Jacques Haeko 80

Dick Kauam 86

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1643315/index.html

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/d09c53d0-ea5a-4278-adbe-64ce3feb89c5/language/en-US/Default.aspx

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/59655c3f-250b-4dce-aa7e-a71cecdacee9/language/en-US/Default.aspx

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/8b5e3a13-f858-4d57-9f41-5e7ff783d2cc/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmSEE7miXuo&feature=g-all-u (Vanuatu v. Samoa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYT1VbLzIfY&feature=relmfu (Tahiti v. New Caledonia)

New Zealand 1 - Fiji 0; Solomon Islands 1 - Papua New Guinea 0

On another stifling day in Honiara, OFC favorites New Zealand began their 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign against Fiji, the only team to defeat the All Whites in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  Leo Bertos whipped in a free kick early in that match which should have been easily handled by Fijian goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau, but a rebound squirted loose and captain Tommy Smith put New Zealand up 1-0 off the rebound.  The rest of the match was dominated by Fiji.  Avinesh Surawy blasted a free kick through the Kiwi wall and toward the back of the net twenty minutes after the opener, but goalkeeper Mark Paston saved his team's fortunes with a diving save.  New Zealand went into the break up 1-0.

Four minutes after the restart, Roy Krishna backheeled a ball into the path of the onrushing Osea Vakatalesau, but Paston again tipped the shot on the dive.  But a minute later, Paston gave up a rebound but fell on the ball only to suffer an injury on the ensuing foul. Replacement Jake Gleeson performed admirably the rest of the way to preserve the hard-fought if not well-deserved 1-0 win for New Zealand.  The result was harsh for Fiji, who will now need a positive result in their next game against the hosts Solomon Islands.

Papua New Guinea paid their first visit since 1994 to the Solomon Islands to take on the hosts Bonitos in front of a packed Tawson Lama Stadium crowd in Honiara.  The Bonitos pipped a dream start when Benjamin Totori latched onto a loose ball to slot home at the near post for a 1-0 lead that sent the stadium into a frenzy.  IPapuan defenders Kelly Jampu and Daniel Joe may well be having nightmares about Jack Wetney after Wetney absolutely dominated the left side of the pitch for the Bonitos, but the further attacks by the Bonitos were unable to stretch the lead, which remained 1-0 at the break.

Off a corner early in the second half, centerback Tome Faisi nearly fired the Bonitos into a two-goal lead, but the crossbar denied him.  This seemed to ignite Papua New Guinea, and forwards Kema Jack and Raymond Gunemba.  Hardies Aengari came back on a dead sprint to block an open Jack shot and preserve the shutout, but Papua New Guinea maintained their edge for the remainder of the match.  However, much to the relief of the stressed-out crowd, the Bonitos held out for a 1-0 win to go joint-top with the vaunted Kiwis.

Group B resumes on 4 June 2012.

Goals
New Zealand
Tommy Smith 9

Solomon Islands
Benjamin Totori 5

Match Reports:
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/0c95e2d6-8b44-485f-8133-5d0a5e5b2204/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/899d4ca8-67d2-48ac-adba-f827cf42d505/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1642834/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P_dotDHMng&list=PL9222DBA7DAA9CCCB&index=3&feature=plpp_video (New Zealand v. Fiji)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCIon5tGWXQ&feature=relmfu (Solomon Islands v. Papua New Guinea)

New Caledonia 5 - Vanuatu 2; Tahiti 10 - Samoa 1

In the opening match of the OFC Second Round in Honiara, Tahiti gave a rude awakening to Samoa as to the increase in level of play from the first round.  The Tehau trio made it a family affair for Tahiti in the early going, with Lorenzo, Johnathan, and Alvin all scoring a goal in the first twenty minutes to put Tahiti up 3-0.  Alvin scored the fourth Tehau goal to make the halftime score 4-0.

Alvin gave way to a fourth Tehau, Teaonui, at the half, and Teaonui scored the fifth Tehau goal early in the second half.  Tahiti added a sixth before Samoa pulled one back o make the score 6-1.  In the final twelve minutes, the Tehau contingent scored four more times, bringing the family's tally to nine for the match, including four goals for Lorenzo, who scored the final three goals of the match in a frantic three-minute span.  Tahiti find themselves at the top of Group A after their 10-1 victory, but two tougher tests lie ahead in New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

Group favorites New Caledonia opened their 2014 FIFA World Cup against a youthful Vanuatu side in the steamy Honiara.  The first thirty minutes of the match were completely dominated by New Caledonia.  Olivier Dokunengo's great midfield play opened the left side of the pitch for Georges Gope-Fenepej (pictured, gray), who was a thorn in Vanuatu's side all match.  He headed a ball over the defense and into the path of Bertrand Kai, who coolly finished for a 1-0 lead.  Gope-Fenepej smoked a left-footed shot off the crossbar that hit the goal line and bounced out.  Vanuatu found their footing in the match in the final fifteen minutes of the half, drawing a sprawling save from goalkeeper Rocky Nyikeine.  On the very next play, Nyikeine was caught in no man's land, but Dominique Wacalie was there to head clear a great offensive header by Vanuatu's Joseph Namariau to preserve the 1-0 lead going into the half.

The second half was a goalfest.  Vanuatu maintained their momentum and scored after a through ball from Namariau found Robert Tasso, who finished on the run at the near post.  Kai expertly flicked a header over an onrushing Enest Bong to restore New Caledonia's lead against the run of play, 2-1.  But three minutes later, Vanuatu on the corner kick found an unmarked Brian Kaltack, who nodded a header into the crossbar, but Jean Napropol put the rebound home for a 2-2 equalizer.  Again against the run of play, Kai saved a ball at the end line and put in a great cross to Gope-Fenepej, who had cut across Kaltack to find open space.  Gope-Fenepej finished deftly for 3-2.  Kai assured himself man-of-the-match status with an absolute wonder-strike to give New Caledonia a 4-2 and himself a hat trick.  After a late own-goal, New Caledonia won the match 5-2.

Group A play resumes in two days' time on 3 June 2012.

Goals

Tahiti

Lorenzo Tehau 8, 83, 84, 85.

Johnathan Tehau 17, 78

Alvin Tehau 19, 38

Teaonui Tehau 54

Steevy Chong Hue 60

Samoa

Silao Malo 70

New Caledonia

Bertrand Kai 32, 58, 76

Georges Gope-Fenepej 66

Roy Kayara 87

Vanuatu

Robert Tasso 52

Jean Napropol 61

Match Reports:

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/cebf1dc7-8145-4dda-afcf-25c0bf76708e/language/en-US/Default.aspx

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/525afe82-f1fb-45c2-82b0-531f1466dfdf/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAh97mK-0xo (Tahiti v. Samoa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKNFE4f97wY&feature=g-all-s (New Caledonia v. Vanuatu)

Preview: OFC Second Round

Earlier this year, the 2012 OFC Nations Cup was taken away from Fiji due to an ongoing legal dispute between the OFC General Secretary and Fijian authorities and awarded to the Solomon Islands. The group stage of the OFC Nations Cup is doubling as the OFC Second Round, so homefield in the match between Fiji and Solomon Islands has shifted to the Bonitos, who will be playing every match before a packed house in the Lawson Tama Stadium in the country's capital, Honiara.  The 2012 OFC Nations Cup is the biggest sporting event ever staged in the Solomon Islands, and the Bonitos are under pressure to perform.

The pressure is greater in Oceania in June 2012 than in any other confederation with regards to 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying.  The only four eliminations this month will take place in Oceania as the Oceania field is cut from eight to four over a period of six days from 1 June to 6 June.

Group A
At the 2011 Pacific Games held in New Caledonia, the hosts defeated Vanuatu 5-0 on the opening day, and the two teams meet again in Group A play.  Georges Gope-Menefej (AS Magenta) netted a hat trick on that day in August 2011, and he is featured on the roster for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup.  New Caledonia will not be as confident when they face Tahiti, however.  In a semifinal on home soil, New Caledonia needed a last minute equalizer to send the match into extra time, where New Caledonia defeated Tahiti 3-1.  There will be no such home field advantage this time around, so New Caledonia will be wary.  Gope-Menefej scored twice in that match as well.  New Caledonia went on to win the final of the 2011 Pacific Games paced by the scoring exploits of ten-goal scorer Bertrand Kai (Hienghene Sport), so they are resounding favorites to advance as one of the top two finishers from Group A.  Samoa provided great thrills during their first-place finish in the OFC First Round, but expectations are low for round two.  Kiwi FC of their domestic league will provide Samoa with midfielder Silao Malo and forward Luki Gosche, but Samoa are likely to finish fourth in the group.

The crucial matchup will be between Tahiti and Vanuatu for the second spot in Group A.  Vanuatu are going with a youth movement, which they hope will pay dividends quickly.  The stars are keeping it inside the family for Vanuatu.  Midfielder Michel Kaltak plays for regional powerhouse Hekari United (Papua New Guinea), and young cousins defender Brian Kaltak and forward Jean Kaltak both play for Teouma Academy in the domestic league.  Jean already has nine goals for the national team at age 17.  Tahiti by contrast is overflowing with experience, especially after the recent appearance of 2010 and 2011 domestic champion AS Tefana in the final of the 2012 O-League.  Goalkeeper Xavier Samin plays for Tefana, as does defender Angelo Tchen.  Forward and captain Naea Bennett lines up for AS Pirae.  Expect the experience of Tahiti to win out over the youth of Vanuatu to nip the second spot in the group.  Both teams should be thanking their luck that they avoided the more difficult Group B.

Group B
Fiji and Papua New Guinea met at the 2011 Pacific Games in a September 2011 matchup.   Fiji won on that day 2-0 to advance to the semifinals, but there they met up with Solomon Islands on a neutral pitch.  The Bonitos defeated Fiji 2-1 in extra time, a bad sign for Fiji who are tasked with playing the Bonitos on the road during Group B action.  Based on these results, Solomon Islands are expected to take the second spot in the group, with Fiji eliminated in third and Papua New Guinea eliminated in fourth.  Papua New Guinea boast domestic league hero Kema Jack of the 2010 O-League champion Hekari United at forward, but his presence will not be enough to advance.  Hosts Solomon Islands boast lots of talent, highlighted by attacking midfielder Henry Fa'arodo (Team Wellington, New Zealand) and forwards Benjamin Totori and James Naka (Koloale).  Koloale play in the Lawson Tama Stadium, so Totori and Naka will be used to finding the back of the net in this facility.  Naka is no stranger to the big stage, having featured in four FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups.

In first place will be found New Zealand.  The All Whites are the dominant team in the region and boost star power that no other Oceanian team can claim.  The list of players plying their trade in England is increasing every season, and the current crop includes defenders Ryan Nelsen (Tottenham, pictured #6) and Winston Reid (West Ham, #4) and forward Chris Wood (West Bromwich Albion, #20).  Young forward Kosta Barbarouses plays in Russia for Alania Vladikavkaz.  2010 FIFA World Cup hero goalkeeper Mark Paston (#1) plays in the A-League for Wellington Phoenix.  His club teammates featured on this OFC Second Round roster include defenders Tony Lochhead (#3) and Ben Sigmund and midfielders Leo Bertos (#11) and Jeremy Brockie.  Fellow A-Leaguer Shane Smeltz (#9) of Perth Glory is the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of the A-League.  Rory Fallon (Aberdeen, Scotland, #14) scored the header that sent the All Whites to South Africa 2010 over Bahrain.  However, New Zealand did suffer their only loss of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to Fiji 2-0 in November 2008 behind two goals from Roy Krishna (Waitakere United, New Zealand), widely known as the jewel of the Fijian strikeforce.  Fiji's midfield will be controlled by Pita Baleitoga of Hekari United.

Expect New Caledonia, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Solomon Islands to come through.

Match Previews:
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/2e8d6f54-0613-40b3-824d-ccf52bc4b856/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/2c57d74a-3054-4e0d-bbf1-0435e705a0d1/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Squad Lists
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/Competitions/TeamList/tabid/1014/Competition/5bfee792-10b4-4af8-889d-4a0b088859c6/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Fiji
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/82e08a91-350d-4fbd-b22b-200b4e4eff25/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/3c0e05fe-4da2-426e-bb3c-c8c37424c683/language/en-US/Default.aspx
New Caledonia
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/6f6261ca-fec8-47c5-8c2f-19ac21b65bc7/language/en-US/Default.aspx
New Zealand
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1631664/index.html
Papua New Guinea
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/e10ae2f3-0b9c-4cec-8dfe-6c30255ec9c0/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Solomon Islands
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/b20575c0-4eb6-4e35-9483-465ed6fdb826/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/fee0b728-711d-4853-9b2c-0c44e14f85cd/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Tahiti
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/185a1fe6-ca38-445c-a69c-774737677a57/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Vanuatu
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/c66e83ad-0fa7-4843-a7a6-9551497e2a9b/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Match Schedule: June 2012

June 2012 marks the 2014 FIFA World Cup debuts of 2010 FIFA World Cup finalists Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, and United States of America. The top twenty-eight seeds in Africa begin their journey to Brasil 2014, as do the top six in CONCACAF and the top seven in Oceania.

In South America, CONMEBOL Matchdays Five and Six will signal that the qualification journey to Brasil 2014 is one-third of the way done. In North America, CONCACAF opens its Third Round with Matchdays One and Two of six spread over the next five months. In Oceania, the group stage of the 2012 Cup of Nations in Solomon Islands will whittle the remaning field of competitors for Oceania's intercontinental playoff berth from eight to four. In Africa, forty teams begin their CAF Second Round campaigns with Matchdays One and Two out of six spread over a sixteen-month period. In Asia, the AFC Fourth Round begins with Matchdays One and Two out of ten spread over thirteen months.

Match times are given in Central Time (GMT-5).

1 June 2012
Samoa vs. Tahiti 20:00 (31 May) Honiara, Solomon Islands

Vanuatu vs. New Caledonia 23:00 (31 May) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Lesotho at Ghana 12:00 Kumasi
Mozambique at Egypt 13:00 Alexandria

2 June 2012
Fiji vs. New Zealand 20:00 (1 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Papua New Guinea at Solomon Islands 23:00 (1 June) Honiara

Malawi at Kenya 8:00 Nairobi

Botswana at Central African Republic 9:00 Bangui
DR Congo at Cameroon 9:30 Yaounde

Morocco at Gambia 11:30 Bakau

Cape Verde at Sierra Leone 11:30 Freetown
Zambia at Sudan 12:00 Khartoum
Tanzania at Cote d'Ivoire 12:00 Abidjan

Equatorial Guinea at Tunisia 12:00 Monastir
Congo at Burkina Faso 13:00 Ouagadougou
Liberia at Senegal 13:00 Dakar

Venezuela at Uruguay 13:00 Montevideo
Rwanda at Algeria 14:30 Blida

Chile at Bolivia 15:10 La Paz
Ecuador at Argentina 17:30 Buenos Aires

3 June 2012

Vanuatu vs. Samoa 20:00 (2 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Tahiti vs. New Caledonia 23:00 (2 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Oman at Japan 5:30 Saitama
Iran at Uzbekistan 8:00 Tashkent
Ethiopia at South Africa 8:00 Rustenburg
Guinea at Zimbabwe 8:00 Harare
Uganda at Angola 10:00 Luanda
Libya at Togo 10:30 Lome
Iraq at Jordan 11:00 Amman
Namibia at Nigeria 11:00 Calabar
Gabon at Niger 12:00 Niamey
Mali at Benin 12:00 Cotonou
Qatar at Lebanon 12:30 Beirut
Colombia at Peru 17:00 Lima

4 June 2012
Papua New Guinea vs. New Zealand 20:00 (3 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Fiji at Solomon Islands 23:00 (3 June) Honiara

5 June 2012
New Caledonia vs. Samoa 20:00 (4 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Tahiti vs. Vanuatu 23:00 (4 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands

6 June 2012
Papua New Guinea vs. Fiji 20:00 (5 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
New Zealand at Solomon Islands 23:00 (5 June) Honiara


8 June 2012
Jordan at Japan 5:30 Saitama
Uzbekistan at Lebanon 8:00 Beirut
Australia at Oman 8:00 Muscat
South Korea at Qatar 11:15 Doha
Canada at Cuba 13:00 Havana
Antigua and Barbuda at United States of America 18:00 Tampa
El Salvador at Costa Rica 20:00 San Jose
Guyana at Mexico 20:00 Mexico City
Guatemala at Jamaica 20:30 Kingston
Panama at Honduras 20:30 San Pedro Sula

9 June 2012

Nigeria at Malawi 7:30 Blantyre
South Africa at Botswana 8:00 Gaborone

Senegal at Uganda 8:00 Kampala

Ghana at Zambia 8:00 Ndola

Niger at Congo 9:00 Pointe-Noire

Burkina Faso at Gabon 9:30 Libreville

Sierra Leone at Equatorial Guinea 12:00 Bata

Kenya at Namibia 12:00 Windhoek
Tunisia at Cape Verde 12:30 Praia
Cote d'Ivoire at Morocco 15:00 Marrakech

Paraguay at Bolivia 15:00 La Paz

Chile at Venezuela 17:35 Puerto La Cruz

10 June 2012
Central African Republic at Ethiopia 8:00 Addis Ababa
Gambia at Tanzania 8:00 Dar Es Salaam
Sudan at Lesotho 8:00 Maseru

Zimbabwe at Mozambique 8:00 Maputo
Benin at Rwanda 8:30 Kigali

Togo at DR Congo 9:30 Kinshasa

Cameroon at Libya 10:00 Sfax, Tunisia
Angola at Liberia 11:00 Monrovia

Egypt at Guinea 12:00 Conakry

Peru at Uruguay 13:30 Montevideo
Algeria at Mali 14:00 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Colombia at Ecuador 16:00 Quito

12 June 2012
Japan at Australia 5:00 Brisbane
Lebanon at South Korea 6:00 Goyang
Oman at Iraq 9:45 Doha, Qatar
Qatar at Iran 10:30 Tehran
Jamaica at Antigua and Barbuda 18:00 North Sound
Honduras at Canada 18:30 Toronto
Costa Rica at Guyana 19:00 Providence
Cuba at Panama 20:05 Panama City
Mexico at El Salvador 20:30 San Salvador
United States of America at Guatemala 21:00 Guatemala City

Schedule for OFC Second Round

The schedule for the OFC Nations Cup 2012 in Fiji has been released. Why is this relevant to this blog? The OFC Nations Cup group stage doubles as the second round of OFC qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brasil.

Group A features Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Tahiti, and the OFC Round One winner. Group B features hosts Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. The top two finishers in each group advance to the OFC Third Round.

(Times are given in Central Time GMT-5)

3 June 2012

Vanuatu vs. New Caledonia 20:00 (2 June)

New Zealand at Fiji 20:00 (2 June)

Round One Winner vs. Tahiti 23:00 (2 June)

Solomon Islands vs. Papua New Guinea 23:00 (2 June)

5 June 2012

Vanuatu vs. Round One Winner 20:00 (4 June)

Solomon Islands at Fiji 20:00 (4 June)

Tahiti vs. New Caledonia 23:00 (4 June)

Papua New Guinea vs. New Zealand 23:00 (4 June)

7 June 2012

Tahiti vs. Vanuatu 23:00 (6 June)

New Caledonia vs. Round One Winner 23:00 (6 June)

Papua New Guinea at Fiji 23:00 (6 June)

New Zealand vs. Solomon Islands 23:00 (6 June)

Oceania Round Two Draw

Oceania members finds themselves in an odd position. No draw was needed for their first round because the bottom four seeds (American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga) are automatically playing in a four team group. Each of the teams participating in the first round group will play each of the other three teams in the group once at a central location. The winner of the group advances to the OFC Second Round.

The OFC Second Round doubles as the group stage for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup in June 2012. The eight remaining teams were drawn into two groups of four teams. Each team will play each of the other three teams in their group once at a central location, in this case Fiji. The top two teams in each group will advance to the OFC Third Round, as well as to the semifinals of the 2012 OFC Nations Cup.

Group A

Vanuatu

New Caledonia

Round One Winner

Tahiti

Group B

Fiji

New Zealand

Solomon Islands

Papua New Guinea

I foresee Samoa winning the OFC First Round group.

My bold predictions for Oceania are that the following teams will advance to the OFC Third Round:

New Caledonia, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Fiji

The draw gods gave Oceania an imbalanced draw. Group A includes only one of the four powers of Oceania: New Caledonia. The other three (New Zealand, Fiji, and Solomon Islands) were all grouped together in Group B. Vanuatu were given a reprieve by this draw as they were in the 2007 South Pacific Games when in the third-place match they played a Solomon Islands team depleted by two red cards from their semifinal. Vanuatu then finished fourth place in the final round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying. However, Tahiti will provide a challenge for Vanuatu's second place.

Group B involves heavy favorites New Zealand. The big matchup is between Fiji and Solomon Islands. Solomon Islands made it to the final playoff with Australia in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and won its first round group over Vanuatu in the 2007 South Pacific Games, but they wound up missing the final round of 2010 qualifying. Fiji, however, boasts a finals appearance in those same South Pacific Games, and a victory over New Zealand in the final round of 2010 qualifying. Fiji has the home field advantage in the OFC Second Round, so they should sneak by the Solomon Islands and into second place in Group B. However, teams should be wary of wildcards Papua New Guinea. PNG's top club team Hekari United made it to the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup and featured PNG's star forward Kema Jack.

Links

OFC qualifying overview:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1483249/index.html

Group A breakdown:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1484642/index.html

Group B breakdown:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1484659/index.html