AS Pirae of Tahiti secured a convincing 3-0 victory against debutants Tiga Sport from New Caledonia in the Group B of the OFC Champions League. The match was held at the Freshwater Stadium in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
Despite Tiga Sport being in a tough spot in New Caledonia’s Super Ligue, they faced a strong Pirae side that had won three consecutive matches in Ligue 1 in Tahiti. The Tahitian team dominated the game from the early stages and opened the scoreline in the 7th minute when Yohann Tihoni finished off a great cross with a clinical strike.
The second goal of the match was an absolute gem from Tevaitini Teumere. The youngster scored a possible goal of the tournament contender with a superb volley from outside the box after a corner. The third goal came from Ariiura Labaste, who found himself in front of Tiga’s goalkeeper Dounezek and needed two shots to put the ball into the back of the net.
The team coached by Hiro Labaste was satisfied with their three-goal lead and managed to keep Tiga Sport at bay in the second half. Tiga Sport improved their performance in the second half and created some opportunities, but the defensive system led by Matatia Paama and the goalkeeper François Decoret kept a clean sheet.
Tiga Sport, coached by Leonardo López, is playing in the OFC Champions League for the first time and will need to improve their performances in the upcoming matches to have a chance to progress to the next round. Meanwhile, AS Pirae has made a strong start to the tournament and will be hoping to continue their winning streak in the remaining group stage matches.
Oceania Football Center 