OFC Beach Soccer Championship 2009

The Solomon Islands team line up before the Group A FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup match against Uruguay at Um Suqaim Beach on November 16, 2009 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

The third edition of the OFC Beach Soccer Championship took place in 2009 with the winner also qualifying for the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ in the United Arab Emirates. The tournament was held at Temae Beach in Moorea, Tahiti, and was contested between four nations. All teams played each other in a round-robin format, before the top two qualified for the final. Hosts Tahiti were joined by two-time defending champions, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji.

James NAKA – Solomon Islands taking on Portugal defender at FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2008 Group B – Prado Beach – Marseille – France – 19/7/08 (Photo Credit: Action Images / Matthew Childs)

Vanuatu opened the tournament with a 4-2 victory over the Solomon Islands in a repeat of the two previous finals and finished atop the standings for the third time running, with a 5-4 win over Fiji, and a 5-3 victory over hosts Tahiti. The Solomon Islands joined them in the final once more, picking up a crucial 4-2 victory over Tahiti, before securing their spot with a big 11-2 win over Fiji.

For the third consecutive edition, Vanuatu was defeated in the final despite finishing the group stage unbeaten, losing 1-0 to the Solomon Islands in a hard-fought tussle. Gibson Purasi scored the decisive goal at Temae Beach to secure Solomon Islands a third consecutive OFC Beach Soccer Championship, booking their place at the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™. Hosts Tahiti finished third with a 6-3 victory over Fiji in the third-place play-off.

James Naka of the Solomon Islands takes on Pampero of Uruguay during the Group A FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup match at Um Suqaim Beach on November 16, 2009 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

The Solomon Islands went on to secure a stunning 7-6 upset win over 2006 runners-up Uruguay in their opening match of the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ in the United Arab Emirates, arguably their best-ever result. Despite the victory though, they weren’t able to progress to the knockout stage for the first time, suffering defeats to the hosts and Portugal in a group stage exit.