OFC U-20 Championship 2005

Australia team during national anthems at FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005 against Benin at Parkstad Limburg Stadium – 10/6/05 (Photo Credit: Action Images / Lee Mills)

The fifteenth edition of the OFC U-20 Championship took place in 2005 and doubled as qualification for the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup™ in the Netherlands. The tournament was hosted by the Solomon Islands and contested between eight nations.

Australia topped Group A after resounding wins all three of their matches against Vanuatu, Tonga and New Caledonia, while in Group B hosts Solomon Islands went through unbeaten with Fiji runners up, after both sides narrowly beat New Zealand who failed to make out of their group for the second tournament in a row.

In the semi finals, Australia were pushed right to the final whistle against Fiji, a Kristian Sarkies 89th minute goal secured his side a 3-2 victory and a spot in the final. As for Solomon Islands and Vanuatu their match finished one-all after 90 minutes, with the hosts scoring two goals in extra time to join Australia in the final.

Kristian Sarkies – Australia in action against Joreon Drost – Netherlands at FIFA World Youth Championship 2005 – Parkstad Limburg Stadium (Photo Credit: Action Images / Lee Mills)

Goals from Mark Bridge, Vince Lia, and David Williams propelled Australia to a 3-0 victory over first-time finalists the Solomon Islands, in the final. While the match was abandoned in the 77th minute due to crowd trouble, the match result stood, as Australia claimed their sixth consecutive and 12th OFC U-20 Championship title.

Drawn with hosts Netherlands, Japan and Benin, Australia made a strong start to their campaign recording a 1-1 draw in their opening match. A 3-0 defeat to the hosts int their second game, meant Australia needed a win against Japan to progress through to the quarterfinals. Leading 1-0 with less than five minutes left in regular time, there hopes were dashed when Japan scored a goal in the 87th minute.