Tonga and Samoa showdown to decide All Whites’ FIFA World Cup opponents

Tonga or Samoa will join the All Whites in their FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifying group in October.

The teams have won their round 1 games at the Oceania qualifiers in Samoa and will go head to head on Monday to decide which nation joins New Zealand, Tahiti and Vanuatu in group B of round 2.

Tonga beat Cook Islands 3-1 and Samoa overcame American Samoa 2-0 to reach the first stage final.

Main photo: Samoa’s Jarvis Vaai enjoys the moment after scoring in stoppage time. Photo credit: OFC Media / Phototek.

Here’s how they got there …

Samoa reach Monday’s final with 2-0 win

Samoa were made to work hard as they overcame American Samoa to advance in the FIFA World Cup Oceania qualifiers on home turf.

A Dilo Tumua second-half penalty and a late strike from Jarvis Vaai proved the difference between the two sides in what was a physical and, at times, fiery encounter played in rainy conditions.

American Samoa were arguably the more impressive of the two teams for the majority of the first half but, despite their possession, were unable to produce much in the way of chances to threaten Paul Taupau’s goal.

Conversely, Samoa were slightly more efficient with the few chances they created. Still, they were unable to find a way past 44-year-old Nicky Salapu in the American Samoa goal.

Nathan Viliamu had the best chance of the first period but he was closed down well by Salapu who spread himself well to keep the scores level.

The breakthrough came on the hour mark for the hosts.

Half-time substitute Alton Leiataua was hauled down in the penalty box following an excellent run and cross by Luke Salisbury and the penalty was awarded.

After a lengthy delay, Dilo Tumua strode forward and dispatched the penalty well, sending Salapu the wrong way and drilling his effort into the corner.

Leiataua’s afternoon came to an abrupt end, when he was shown a red card following a challenge on goalkeeper Salapu.

The substitute’s touch was heavy and his attempts to get a shot off resulted in a late challenge on the goalkeeper.

The dismissal gave American Samoa a lift but to Samoa’s credit, they managed to frustrate their opponents, with their compact shape making it difficult for Shani Simpson’s side to find a way back into the match.

Ali’i Mitchell came closest to an equaliser, with a stinging free-kick that was held at the second attempt by Taupau in the Samoan goal.

Deep into extra time, Vaai secured the victory for the hosts. He latched on to a through ball from Salisbury, before dribbling past a tired American Samoa defence and calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the goal.

Tonga beat Cook Islands with impressive display

Tonga advanced to the final match in round 1 with an impressive win over Cook Islands in Apia.

Captain Hemaloto Polovili was in inspirational form for his side, creating the first goal and scoring the second as Tonga defied the odds to secure their place in Monday’s final match.

After a slow start, Tonga played themselves into the ascendency, with their physicality making life difficult for Tuka Tisam’s Cook Islands squad.

With 27 minutes on the clock, Polovili made his first mark, playing a lovely through ball over the top to the on-running Viliami Tikoipau, who showed excellent composure to slot the ball under goalkeeper Ngereine Maro.

The captain then had the opportunity to double the lead from the penalty spot.

Ulafala Sonasi rounded the goalkeeper only to be upended, giving the referee little choice but to point to the spot.

Polovili stepped up and confidently smashed it into the left corner to double his side’s lead.

With their World Cup hopes on the line, Cook Islands came out in the second half with a renewed intensity and speed, looking to find a way back into the match in the early stages.

Tonga nearly added a third. Viliami Tukia spotted goalkeeper Maro off his line and lifted an effort from a distance that landed just over the crossbar.

Soon after the hour mark, Cook Islands finally found a way back.

Taci Kumsuz capitalised on slack defending from Tonga and hooked the ball in from the corner of the box to halve the arrears.

An equaliser almost arrived with a little more than a quarter hour remaining, when substitute Tremaine Rimene-Albrett let fly from the edge of the box. Tonga goalkeeper Semisi Otukolo, with an awkward save, deflected just past the post.

A cooling break allowed Tonga to settle and it paid dividends almost immediately.

Substitute Christopher Kefu grabbed a crucial third to all but confirm the result,- despite appearing to injure himself in the process.

Acknowledgement

We thank OFC Media for providing information for this story.

Results

Games played on Friday September 6, 2024

READ MORE: World Cup dreams begin in Samoa as Oceania qualifying series gets underway >>>>

Cook Islands 1 (Taci Kumsuz 63′)
Tonga 3 (Viliami Tikoipau 27′, Hemaloto Polovili 38′ pen, Christopher Kefu 79′)

American Samoa 0
Samoa 2 (Dilo Tumua 60′ pen, Jarvis Vaai 90+8′)

Fixture

Game to be played on Monday September 9, 2024 

Tonga v Samoa
FFS Football Stadium, Apia, Samoa, 2pm (NZT)

How the qualification process works

Round One

OFC’s four lowest-ranked teams, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga, decide which team progresses to the next round, joining nations in Group B.

The FIFA World Cup official draw held in Zurich in July determined two groups of four:

Round Two

The FIFA international window in October will see Suva, Fiji host Group A matches and Port Vila, Vanuatu host Group B matches.

Make a note in your diary for Thursday October 10, for back-to-back matches in Suva with New Caledonia playing Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands meeting Fiji in Group A.

The next day, New Zealand and Tahiti meet in Port Vila and on Saturday October 12, VFF Freshwater Stadium will be packed to the rafters as Vanuatu play the winner of Round One.

The group stage will be completed during November’s FIFA international window, with New Zealand and Papua New Guinea hosting the final round of matches, after which the top two teams will advance to the semi-finals.

Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea will host Match Day 4 in Group A on Thursday November 14 and Match Day 5 on Sunday November 17.

FMG Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand, will host Match Day 4 in Group B on Friday November 15 and Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, in Auckland will host Match Day 5 on Monday November 18.

Semi-finals and final

The Oceania Qualifiers will conclude in New Zealand during the March 2025 FIFA international window and determine which side qualifies directly for the FIFA World Cup.

The winner of Group A will face the runner-ups of Group B and the winner of Group B will face the runner-ups of Group A in the semi-finals, on Friday March 21, before the two winners meet in what shapes to be one of the biggest matches in OFC history on Monday March 24, with the winner earning direct entry to the FIFA World Cup.

The runners-up will earn a second chance to qualify for the FIFA World Cup via the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff – a six-nation tournament to determine the final two qualifying teams.

This story was first published on September 7, 2024.

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