New Caledonia survived a scare against Tuvalu. New Caledonia had rested their main players for this match against the tiny non-FIFA nation, and they almost paid the price for this tactic. Still, New Caledonia escaped with a win and held on to their margin over Tahiti, who had the day off. The only goal of the match came on a mistake from the Tuvalu keeper Timo, who while attempting to clear the ball, instead kicked it into an opponent's chest and watched the ball roll behind him into the net. Speaking after the match, the New Caledonian coach said that the use of the second-string players "should be no excuse. We played with a new team but it was bad. We did not have any respect for our opponents."In the other Group A match, Fiji displayed a less stellar performance than in their opener, but were able to cruise past the Cook Islands 4-0 after Cook Islands player Shepherd was sent off in the first half.
The Solomon Islands had a less solid performance than two days prior as well, but they extended their Group B lead with a good defensive showing, downing Tonga 4-0. "We had a lot of chances to finish them off but 4-0 was not really satisfactory," said the Solomon Islands coach.
Samoa got back on track with a 7-0 win over neighboring American Samoa in the nightcap.
Goals scorers:
New Caledonia: Kabeu 52
Solomon Islands: Menapi 5, 13; Fa'arado 51; Maemae 66
Fiji: Vakatalesau 18 PK; Waka 40; Bukalidi 62; Kainihewe 83
Samoa: Tumua 24, 51; Faaiuaso 29; Cahill 43 PK, 67; Fonoti 61; Michael 76
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