Tahiti and Solomon Islands to compete for World Cup place

Tahiti win 16-5 against Papua New Guinea.
After securing back-to-back victories in their opening two fixtures in the OFC Beach Soccer Men’s Nations Cup 2024, Tahiti looked to secure their place in the final as they took on Papua New Guinea in Honiara.

It was the Tahitians who went into the first interval with the advantage in the match as four goals from Salem, a Tetauira brace and a strike from Chan Kat ensured the Tiki Toa had a 7-2 lead by end of the first 12 minutes.


Tahiti remained in control of the game in the second period too, as Salem added two more goals to his goal tally in the encounter, whilst Chan Kat and Tetauira netted their second goals of the day. Papa New Guinea also found goals of their own in the second phase of play, as Kala netted his nation’s third and fifth of the match, with Gele scoring the fourth.

Tahiti saw out yet another victory in the last period of the match, ending the match with a 16-5 win and booking their place in the OFC Beach Soccer Men’s Nations Cup 2024 final.

Fiji win 6-5 on penalties against Solomon Islands, after a 2-2 draw in the match.
Hosts Solomon Islands went toe-to-toe with Fiji in the final group stage match of the competition, with a place in the final against Fiji up for grabs.

Max Fa’ari broke deadlock for the hosts in the match, finding the net from a tight angle inside the opening three minutes of the fixture as just one goal separated the teams as the opening period came to a close.

Only one goal was scored in the second period, and it was Fiji who found themselves back on level terms with four minutes to play in the period, courtesy of Waranivalu’s spectacular free-kick, setting up a crucial final 12 minutes in Honiara.

The two nations couldn’t be separated in the third period, as Amasia’s strike from the penalty spot wasn’t enough grant Solomon Islands victory, with Dean’s goal taking the match to extra-time.

After a goalless additional three minutes, the match was settled on penalties as Fiji secured a 6-5 victory and took home the point. Despite the defeat for Solomon Islands, they accumulated enough points across the group stage to compete against Tahiti in the final of the OFC Beach Soccer Men’s Nations Cup 2024, with a place in Seychelles available for the winners of the Oceania based competition.

Results – 24/10/24
Papua New Guinea 5-16 Tahiti
Solomon Islands 2-2 Fiji (Fiji win 6-5 on penalties)

Final standings
Group stage
1. Tahiti
2. Solomon Islands
3. Papua New Guinea
4. Fiji

Images courtesy of OFC Media via Ivan Photography.