Vanuatu won the bronze medal in the South Pacific Games and eliminated gold-medal favorite Solomon Islands from World Cup contention before the second round of OFC qualifying. In an ugly match that saw seven yellow cards and a missed penalty by the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu repaid their rivals with a 2-0 victory, matching the Solomons' score in their group stage match. The Solomon Islands go down as the biggest disappointment of the Games, ahead of Tahiti.In the final match, New Caledonia defied all of the predictions and not only advanced to the second phase of qualifying, but won the South Pacific Games gold medal with a 1-0 win over Fiji. New Caledonia really sparkled defensively throughout the tournament, surrendering only three goals while going undefeated. They also were the only team to put any goals into the Fijian net, striking twice in two games. Certainly, they are now the second favorites to win the OFC Nations Cup, behind New Zealand.
Didier Chambaron, the coach of New Caledonia, said after the match that the win was "a great feeling. We were very strong in defense and played the game in the right way. I am very pleased."
Goal scorers:
Vanuatu: Soromon 45+3; Sakama 50
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New Caledonia: Hmae 61
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