Defending champions Vanuatu have placed themselves in a strong position in the race for the 2026 MSG Prime Minister’s Cup final after coming from behind to defeat New Caledonia 4-1 at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
The final score suggested a comfortable victory, but the contest was far tighter for most of the afternoon. New Caledonia led early and the teams remained level deep into the second half before Vanuatu produced a devastating finish, scoring three times from the 79th minute onwards.
New Caledonia struck first through Cédric Decoire in the 15th minute. It was an important early breakthrough for a side that had revived its campaign with a 2-1 victory over Papua New Guinea in its previous match.
Vanuatu, however, needed only nine minutes to respond. Captain Tony Kaltack found the equaliser in the 24th minute, scoring his third goal of the tournament after also finding the net against Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
The match went into half-time at 1-1 and remained locked at that score for much of the second period. With the tournament table extremely tight, every point carried considerable weight and New Caledonia appeared on course to take something from the defending champions.
That changed dramatically in the closing stages.
Joe Moses, who has enjoyed a productive period with both club and country, finally put Vanuatu ahead in the 79th minute. Six minutes later Edward Roqara added a third, suddenly transforming a tense contest into a commanding Vanuatu advantage.
Azariah Soromon completed the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time, making it 4-1 and adding further weight to a result that could prove particularly important if goal difference becomes decisive in the battle for the final.
Vanuatu’s campaign has been one of recovery. They opened their title defence with a dramatic 2-1 defeat to Papua New Guinea despite leading late in the match, but responded by beating hosts Fiji 1-0 through Bill Kaltfer Kaltack. They then played out an entertaining 3-3 draw with Solomon Islands before Sunday’s victory over New Caledonia.
That sequence leaves Vanuatu with seven points from their four round-robin matches. Having completed their group schedule, they must now watch Wednesday’s final fixtures to discover whether seven points will be enough to secure one of the two places in the October 3 final.
New Caledonia remain on three points and will finish their campaign against Fiji, while Solomon Islands face Papua New Guinea in the other decisive match.
Vanuatu therefore cannot control what happens next, but after falling behind early against New Caledonia, the defending champions did everything required of them. Three goals in the closing stages have left Richard Iwai’s side with seven points on the board and their title defence very much alive heading into the final round.
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