New Zealand achieved a historic ninth title in the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship at Stade Pater in Papeete today, defeating Fiji 3-1 in a thrilling final match.
Under the guidance of coach Martin Bullock, New Zealand took an early lead in the 3rd minute through a goal from Nathan Martin. Fiji fought back and equalized in the 28th minute when Farhaan Khan launched a long free kick from just inside New Zealand’s half, which misled goalkeeper Joseph Chalabi and ended up in the net.
The teams went into halftime level at 1-1. The match intensified in the 56th minute when both teams lost a player; Fiji’s Veleni Rasorewa and New Zealand’s Nathan Martin were shown red cards by referee David Yareboinen after a scuffle.
Just five minutes later, New Zealand regained their advantage when Luke Brooke-Smith capitalized on a failure to clear the ball from a corner, scoring with a header. Justin Cardoso then sealed the win for New Zealand with a well-placed shot that left Fiji’s goalkeeper Isoa Lutui with no chance.
Both New Zealand and Fiji will move on to participate in next year’s FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.