New Zealand has emerged victorious in their sixth OFC Men’s Nations Cup title, following a 3-0 victory over Vanuatu at the VFF Freshwater Stadium in Port Vila. Despite a commendable effort from Vanuatu, who lost 4-0 in their group match against New Zealand, the latter managed to secure the championship once again.
In achieving their first ever OFC Men’s Nations Cup final, Vanuatu made football history and marked the federation’s 90th anniversary. The event elicited much excitement from football enthusiasts, with around 10,000 fans packing the Freshwater Stadium, while others watched from surrounding rooftops and cars.
New Zealand only made one alteration to their starting lineup with Sam Sutton replacing Tim Payne, who had not fully recovered from a hamstring injury. Alex Saniel returned to the Vanuatu side for the injured Bong Kalo.
The match started off on a high note for New Zealand, with Cam Howieson scoring the first international goal within the opening two minutes. Kosta Barbarouses had a near miss that could have broadened New Zealand’s lead, but his attempt was thwarted by goalkeeper James Iamar.
The match was highly contested, and despite a man down due to Timothy Boulet’s second yellow card, Vanuatu remained resilient. Nonetheless, their attempt at equalizing was foiled when substitute Jesse Randall scored his first international goal, cementing New Zealand’s sixth OFC Men’s Nations Cup championship. Max Mata added a third goal in stoppage time to seal their victory, following an impressive assist by Player of the Match Liberato Cacace.