Photo Credit: OFC Media via Phototek
New Zealand and Fiji will meet for a second time at the OFC Futsal Women’s Nations Cup 2024 on Sunday, this time with the trophy on the line.
Having finished first and second in the group stage respectively, the two sides will now face off in the final of the inaugural competition, with not only the title of champions up for grabs, but also a spot at the first-ever FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup™, to be held in the Philippines next year.
The Kiwis have been in imperious form, winning all four of their group stage matches, including a 9-1 victory over Fiji on Match Day 3. Despite their dominant win however, coach Nic Downes isn’t placing too much importance on the result as his side build towards Sunday’s final.
“Look, I don’t think you can put much in the result – a final is a one-off game, so anything can happen.
“There’s still learnings, tactically, that we can take out of that game and we will take out of that game, but of course we know both teams start at 0-0 and from there anything can happen,” Downes said.
His opposite number in the final at Friendship Hall is Jerry Sam. The Solomon Islander heads up Fiji’s Futsal and Beach Soccer programme and has had to draft in a number of 11-a-side talents for this tournament.
Despite the challenges, reaching the final is seen as the first true achievement for a team that has grown in strength and confidence as the tournament wears on.
“We’re so excited to be in the final, this was our plan, that we wanted to reach the final. We’ve finally made it but we know it’s going to be a big challenge for us,” Sam said.
“We know New Zealand are a very good team. We’re going to need to dig deep and concentrate more in some tactical aspects of the game that we’ll need to improve on.
“We know it’s not going to be easy for us but we have to be together as a team.”
On the court, much of the focus will be on the two captains. New Zealand’s Hannah Kraakman has been a standout for her side, scoring early goals in both of their final group stage matches, against Solomon Islands and Tahiti respectively, with her tournament tally standing at four.
Whilst they will be favourites heading into the final, Kraakman insists the focus remains on resetting and making another positive start come kick-off tomorrow afternoon.
“We’ve kind of been taking every game as it comes, so I think this is going to be the same.
“We can take some learnings from our match against Fiji in the group stage. We’ll work on a couple of things that we were maybe lacking in that game and hopefully put our best foot forward tomorrow against them,’ Kraakman said.
Unaisi Tuberi will wear the armband for Fiji. Like many of her team mates, Tuberi is an experienced 11-a-side player by trade, making the transition to futsal in preparation for this competition.
Despite their relative inexperience compared to New Zealand, Tuberi knows there’s much more to come from her team as they look to upset the odds and take the trophy home.
“We played New Zealand in our group game and I think the girls have learnt from their mistakes and we’ll come prepared tomorrow – mentally and spiritually tomorrow for the final,” the captain said.
Tuberi also made sure to mention the team’s appreciation for the support they’ve been receiving back in Fiji.
“We want to thank our family and supporters back home for their prayers. Without them, we couldn’t have made it to the final.”
Earlier on Sunday, Tahiti and Solomon Islands will take to the court in the Playoff for 3rd place.
Tahiti will be looking to end their campaign on a high, having been unable to get the result they needed against New Zealand to seal a place in the final. As for Solomon Islands, they will be once again motivated by a noisy and passionate home crowd, looking to see their team take the bronze medal.
Wherever the trophy, medals and accolades end up after the final day at the OFC Futsal Women’s Nations Cup, it will bring to a conclusion a history-making tournament and an important first step in the development of women’s futsal in Oceania.
OFC Futsal Women’s Nations Cup 2024
Final
Sunday, August 25, 5:00pm
New Zealand v Fiji
Playoff for 3rd place
Sunday, August 25, 3:00pm
Tahiti v Solomon Islands