The Swiss took game two on Friday with a comprehensive 9-6 victory before the Tiki Toa reawakened on Saturday to reduce the gap but still suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat, allowing Switzerland to take the series 2-1.
Friday’s game saw the two teams exchanging shot for shot before the Tiki Toa took the lead in the second minute through Heimanu Taiarui, who spent part of the year in Switzerland playing in the Swiss Beach Soccer League with national team coach Angelo Schirinzi’s club side the Sable Dancers.
William Taura soon extended the score line to 2-0 in the third minute before Swiss captain Sandro Spaccarotella got one back for his team, followed closely by a double from Kaspar Jaggy to take them into the first break ahead 3-2.
The Swiss continued to dominate after the restart, scoring three more before Tahiti were able to answer with two of their own through player-coach Teva Zaveroni and a second for Taiarui.
The third quarter again had the Swiss adding to their tally, though a 35th-minute strike from Tahiti captain Naea Bennett and Taiarui’s third of the game reduced the deficit to round out the scoring at 9-6.
Zaveroni says the Swiss did not allow the Tiki Toa the space to play to their game plan but feels the result is not of great importance.
“The defeat matters very little as we are here to work and try to improve and better ourselves tactically,” he says.
Knowing a win would take the series, the Tahitians adopted an attacking mentality in the third and final match but that approach did not pay off as the Swiss opened the scoring in the sixth minute through Stephan Meier.
A goal each from skipper Bennett and Taiarui meant the teams came into the third quarter with the score locked at 2-2.
A second from Bennett had the Tiki Toa take the lead for the first time but Switzerland did not take long to respond, putting two more away for the game to end 4-3 in their favour.
While they may have lost the series, Zaveroni believes Tahiti have no reason to be discouraged after proving they can compete with the best of them.
“The Swiss were here to allow us to progress and I think, thanks to these three matches, my players have planted the seed for further growth,” Zaveroni says. “We had some highs and some lows but remain on a positive note as we approach our next international exchanges.”
Swiss player-coach Schirinzi has worked closely with the Tiki Toa and several players in particular who played with his Sable Dancers squad and is impressed with how far the team has come along in a short period of time.
“I extend my congratulations to the Tiki Toa who have clearly progressed in a year under Zaveroni and Taiarui,” he says.
“This team possesses talented players who give it the power to challenge the world’s biggest teams. The Tiki Toa are a team that is very difficult to play against but with some tactical points they still need to master.”
Tahiti will continue with a programme that includes more than 20 international matches in the next 11 months, as they build towards the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013 next September.
For more on Tahiti football go to www.ftf.pf

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