OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament 1991

The second edition of the OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament took place in 1991. The winner would go on to face the 5th-placed nation from the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in a play-off for a place at the 1992 Olympic Games men’s football tournament in Spain. It also marked the first tournament to be played with under-23 national teams, following the International Olympic Committee’s decision to restrict the age-limit of the men’s football tournament at the Olympic Games.

The OFC tournament was hosted across venues in Fiji and Australia, and was contested between four nations, with New Zealand and Papua New Guinea both joining the two host teams. Australia had little trouble winning their second consecutive OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament title, winning all six of their matches and topping the table with a 100% record. Their most competitive fixtures came against Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand, securing a 2-0 victory in Melbourne and a 2-1 win in Nadi.

At the OFC–UEFA play-off, the first leg in Sydney finished as a 1–1 draw, in the second leg, that match went into extra time, with Ned Zelic scoring 117th minute goal in Utrecht to make it 3-3 on aggregate. Australia won on away goals and qualified for the 1992 Summer Olympics.

The 1992 Olympics in Spain was Australia’s and OFC’s best ever result at the tournament. For the second consecutive time, Australia advance from the group stages, thanks to a 3-0 victory against Denmark and 1-1 draw against Mexico. Their run didn’t end at the quarterfinals, upsetting Sweden 2-1 in Barcelona to reach the semi-finals for the first time. A 6-1 defeat to Poland in their semi-final, saw them face Ghana in a rematch of their group match. But again, they it was the African nation that prevailed 1-0, to claim the bronze medal.