ADELAIDE, 6 June 2004: After pulling of a historic upset against New Zealand just days earlier, it was Vanuatu’s turn to suffer a surprise loss when they went down to a late goal against Tahiti.
The 2-1 victory was a surprise as the Tahitians struggled in all their previous games suffering heavy losses to Australia, New Zealand and the Solomons although they did manage a scoreless draw against Fiji.
Both sides went into the half-time round five fixture locked at a goal apiece. Richard Iwai scored the game’s first goal in the 23rd minute but Tahiti struck back minutes before the break through an opportunist goal to Axel Temataua.
The second half was a closely fought battle with Tahiti relentless with a chance of their first win of the tournament within reach. And they were rewarded one minute from the end of regulation time when Gabriel Wajoka scored the winner.
The victory lifted the Tahitians to fifth place relegating Vanuatu to the bottom, a disappointing ending to a team who caused the biggest upset of the tournament in beating New Zealand 4-2 in round three.
FULL MATCH STATISTICS AVAILABLE ON THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE LINKED TO THE HOMEPAGE.