OFC Women’s Nations Cup 1989

The third edition of the OFC Women’s Nations Cup was held in 1989 and hosted in Brisbane, Australia, with all games played at Perry Park. Five teams participated in the event for the first time in tournament history, including hosts Australia, defending champions Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and an Australian B side. It followed the same format as previous editions, with all teams playing each other in a round-robin format, before the top two qualified for the final, and third and fourth competed in a third place play-off.

Trans-Tasman foes New Zealand and Australia continued their rivalry in the opening match of the tournament, with goals from Wandi Henderson and Kim Nye helping New Zealand to a 2-0 win. That gave them some early confidence, and New Zealand made it two from two with a 1-0 victory over defending champions Chinese Taipei on matchday two. Wins over Papua New Guinea and Australia B wrapped up top spot for New Zealand with a perfect record, making it a race for second. It came down to a replay of the 1986 OFC Women’s Nations Cup final on the final day of round-robin play, with Chinese Taipei repeating their 4-1 victory of Australia to take the remaining place in the final. Australia finished third, whilst Australia B finished fourth to qualify for the Playoff for 3rd place.

In a tight and tense affair, Chinese Taipei gained revenge for their round-robin defeat to claim back-to-back OFC Women’s Nations Cup titles with victory over New Zealand in the final. Huang Yu-Chuan’s 51st minute strike was the decisive goal in Chinese Taipei’s 1-0 success at Perry Park. She finished as the tournament’s top goal-scorer with nine goals. The Playoff for 3rd place between Australia and Australia B did not go ahead due to a waterlogged pitch.