The Wilson August-coached side defeated the Bilikiki of the Solomon Islands in an all-Oceania final that enthralled a vocal crowd of over 500 at Coolangatta Beach.
In a thrilling match that see-sawed from end to end, the score was locked at 3-3 after the third period and extra time was therefore needed to separate the sides.
Vanuatu star Jean-Robert Yelou, who was also assistant coach to Wilson throughout the tournament, appeared to have finally won the game when he struck his country’s fourth but the Bilikiki equalised through a James Naka penalty to force their fellow Melanesians into a penalty shoot-out.
The Vanuatu players held their nerve from the spot to score all four shots and were able to create history by lifting the trophy on the slimmest of margins when the Solomon Islands failed to convert their final effort.
The exciting action was witnessed first-hand by OFC President David Chung and General Secretary Tai Nicholas, who travelled to the Gold Coast to observe the tournament.
August was overcome with emotion at the conclusion of the contest and struggled to find the words to sum up the victory.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said. “It’s a great feeling and I want to thank my players for their patience, humbleness and discipline from day one to today.”
The Bilikiki have won three of the four OFC Beach Socccer Championships – a tournament not aligned with the Asia-Pacific event – and August said it was good to finally get one over a side they have been denied title glory by on more than one occasion.
“We have played the Solomon Islands in the final of three OFC tournaments and lost all three but today our boys played their hearts out,” he said.
“The Vanuatu fans are very proud of what their young team has achieved and everyone in Vanuatu is now walking tall.”
The Asia Pacific triumph will also go some way towards making up for the disappointment Vanuatu suffered prior to the last OFC Beach Soccer Championship, held in Tahiti in February of last year and won by the hosts.
Vanuatu had put together a strong squad for the tournament and prepared well but were denied the chance to take part when a cyclone disrupted their travel plans and prevented them from reaching Tahiti.
To watch action from the inaugural Asia Pacific Beach Soccer Championship click here

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