Why tahiti in confederation

I just hope we get our tactics right. After playing Spain three days later, they face South American champions Uruguay in Recife on June 23, but whatever the outcome of those games just being there in the first place represents a huge achievement for coach Eddy Etaeta and his squad. Tahiti qualified for the Confederations Cup by winning the Oceania Nations Cup last year with a final victory over New Caledonia to become the first side other than Australia and New Zealand to win the tournament since it began in Far from providing a boost to morale ahead of the challenge that lay ahead, Tahiti lost their opening game to the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte.

A confidence booster it was not. The trip to France did yield a significant reward, however. The only Tahitian player to play professionally was a year-old named Marama Vahirua. At the time, he was on the books of French top flight club Nancy, although they loaned him out to Greek club Panthrakikos.

A former French under international, he had played at the highest level with more than appearances in Ligue 1, as well as playing for Nantes in the Champions League. He had left Tahiti and his hometown of Papeete some 15 years earlier to join the Nantes youth setup, but his professional success had come at a price.

Lambs to the slaughter they may have been, but they had earned the right to be there. The fear of course was that in their first ever official senior matches against teams from outside Oceania they would embarrass themselves, and therefore by extension embarrass the tournament.

The African champions, Nigeria, were the first test lying in wait for Tahiti in a match played in the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte. It was a match that would end with a five goal defeat but would provide the most iconic scene of the whole competition. Nor would it be that a second was added soon after, or that Tahiti shot themselves in the foot by scoring an own goal.

Rather, the moment that the world would remember, and the image that illustrated most match reports the following day, came early in the second half.

The energy and effervescence of the Tahitians had been the most notable aspect of the match, as they strung together several series of passes and neat moves, retaining possession quite well at times. They may have been facing an opposition of far higher standing, but they were trying to play the game their way, without fear, attacking when the opportunities arose.

That their spirit and bravery had been rewarded with a goal was a moment to cherish for football lovers the world over. For a spell after scoring, they visibly grew in confidence, frustrating their more illustrious opponents, before the amateurs eventually ran out of steam and succumbed to a late Nigerian flurry.

It was Tehau himself who netted the own goal which cancelled out his historic strike at the other end, but nothing could dampen his spirits on a night he would never forget. We showed we could play some football, and yes we lost, but we deserved at least a goal and we got it. It had been a moving experience, fully embraced by their Nigerian counterparts too. The Nigerian players hugged the Tahitians warmly at the final whistle, as the emotion of their moment in the global spotlight spilled over for some.

Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. Log out. US Markets Loading H M S In the news. Tony Manfred. Tahiti lost to Nigeria in the Confederations Cup yesterday.