Tahiti on the podium, New Zealand in the World Cup • TNTV Tahiti Nui Télévision

Credit: Tahiti Nui TV

They played the minor final of the OFC U16 Women’s Championship on Tuesday at the Batter Stadium. Tamahine ura finished the tournament in style.

After Tonga’s 5-3 win, Xavier Samin’s sons took the third step on the podium. A well-deserved place goes to Commander Haranui Lou Gaichi : “We are very proud of our journey. Coming third and giving Tahiti the title is actually a source of pride. We only remember the good things from this adventure.”

“We didn’t start out as candidates and we didn’t think we would get this rating. What made the difference was this cohesion and this family that we were able to create with Tamahine Ora, Coach Xavier Samin believes. This is what made the difference in the end. They deserve this third place. »

After this encounter, the final match between Fiji and New Zealand also fulfilled all its promises.

They maintained the score for 90 minutes, and we had to wait until the final seconds of stoppage time to see the Whites free themselves from the trap the Fijians had set for them. “It’s a very high level gameFIFA Secretary General Fatima Samoura estimated. We are increasingly seeing small islands that were being beaten from the start by large countries like New Zealand, fighting back until the last minute. I think Fiji’s performance today confirms to us once again that with a little good faith and a lot of work we can succeed against the biggest teams in the world. »

Thanks to this narrow win, New Zealand will travel to represent the Oceania region at the next FIFA World Cup scheduled in the Dominican Republic.