New Zealand forward Aaron Cartwright has been named the most valuable player after helping his side to a ninth title at the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship in Tahiti.
Cartwright (16) was awarded the Golden Ball trophy, and also carried off the Golden Boot for being the top goalscorer at the eight-nation tournament.
The striker plays for A-League club Melbourne City’s academy, and has played for Melbourne’s Oakleigh Cannons.
New Zealand won the tournament, beating Fiji 3-1 in the final.
New Zealand, Fiji and third-placed New Caledonia will represent Oceania at next year’s 48-team FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup in Qatar.
At the post-tournament awards, New Caledonia goalkeeper Nicolas Kutran was awarded the Golden Glove trophy.
Kutran and his twin brother Baptiste were inspired to play at the highest possible level after the sudden death of their brother, Ruben, a talented footballer who played in France.
READ MORE: Twin internationals inspired to chase football dream after losing brother >>>>
The Tahiti team were awarded the tournament’s Fair Play Award.
Main photo: Aaron Cartwright scores at the tournament. Photo credit: OFC Media/ DJ Mills / Phototek.
Award winners
Photo credits: OFC Media/ DJ Mills / Phototek.
Results
OFC U-16 Men’s Championship
Games played on Sunday August 11, 2024 (NZT)
Final
New Zealand 3 (Nathan Martin 3′, Luke Brooke-Smith 62′, Justin Cardozo 67′)
Fiji 1 (Farhaan Khan 28′)
READ MORE: New Zealand claim Oceania U-16 title for record ninth time after 3-1 win >>>>
WATCH: Highlights from New Zealand U-16 men’s 3-1 win against Fiji >>>>
Watch full replay:
Play-off for third place
New Caledonia 1 (Fabrice Iopue 25′)
Tahiti 1 (Rohan Tereroa 64′)
*New Caledonia win 5-4 on penalties
READ MORE: New Caledonia to join New Zealand and Fiji at FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup >>>>
Games played on Friday August 9, 2024 (NZT)
Play-off for fifth place
Cook Islands 1 (Tahitoa Webb 90+2′ pen)
Samoa 2 (Bevan Jr Kapisi 6′, 8′)
READ MORE: Samoa and Solomon Islands finish OFC U-16 Men’s Championship with wins >>>>
Play-off for seventh place
Vanuatu 0
Solomon Islands 1 (Kennedy Sihiu 73′ pen)
This story was first published on August 12, 2024.
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