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.
Today we were actors. That they provided the moment of the tournament was the icing on the cake. That lone headed goal was all Tahiti needed for their Brazilian adventure to be nothing other than a success. There has surely never been such an epic mismatch in the history of international football. That Spain subjected Tahiti to the biggest thrashing in FIFA completion history, in terms of tournament finals anyway, was of little relevance. But once again it was the spirit and perseverance of the Tahiti players that most caught the eye.
Having conceded in the opening minutes once more, Tahiti then kept out the likes of Fernando Torres and David Villa for nigh on the next half an hour. So what if they went on to concede double figures? They never gave up in the face of one of the greatest national teams of all-time. Spain, for their part, played the game the right way too. Often inferior teams look to break up the game and get aggressive; they play without spirit or hope. Standards aside, Tahiti showed a great example of how to go about playing football.
We have tried to show them respect in every sense. Four days later: another match, another heavy defeat. Tahiti's most high-profile player is Papeete-born striker Marama Vahirua, who became the country's first overseas-based professional when he signed with French club Nantes in For the last 15 years, he has remained Tahiti's sole footballing export and is currently on loan to Greek club Panthrakikos.
As Etaeta has noted, most of the Tahiti players are essentially amateur, though not without international experience. Their recent participation in World Cup qualifying matches, which encompassed the Oceania Nations Cup, has given many of the squad exposure to a higher level of the game.
Tahiti at a glance. Fifa World Ranking Qualified as Oceania champions. Best Confederations Cup result First time in the tournament. Coach Eddy Etaeta. Only problem? World Champions of Spain, who won in their opening game against Uruguay.
For captain Vallar, though, that was the best moment of the whole experience:. My best memory will always be the match against Spain.
Tahiti players exchanged some necklaces made with shells, with the Spanish players being the most surprised by the nice gesture. The hero of the night, in a certain sense, is the goalkeeper. Tahiti used all three keepers during the Cup: every one of them played one match. When Spain won a penalty, Fernando Torres stepped up to the spot and Roche hypnotized the Chelsea forward, the ball hit the woodwork, and the no. The last game was just statistics. Uruguay were qualified, Tahiti were out and the best had already come.
The South American side won and the nicest part of the game came at the end when the Tahitian players thanked the whole crowd for their support in that tournament. As captain and having been lucky enough to have played all three games, I experienced this Confederations Cup as a dream come true. Never in my life did I think I would ever live that dream… how dreams come true.
After such an experience, you would have hoped to see some growth. OFC has indeed seen a more balanced contest for the continental throne. They then gained the access to the FIFA Confederations Cup, where they ended up last, scoring one goal and losing all three games. They were not able to overcome Peru in the intercontinental playoffs and had to give up on their World Cup dreams.
But if OFC is becoming more balanced, Tahiti were not capable of taking advantage of this. Actually, in the edition, the defending champions were knocked out in the Group Stage, losing access to the next phase because of goal difference. And when I asked Vallar what improvements were in place after the trip to Brazil in , his answer was pretty realistic:. Unfortunately, nothing has changed here.
This feat has not necessarily led to a craze for all football enthusiasts. I thought that we could do some preparations, training camps abroad to gain more experience and be able to increase this potential for the World Cup qualifiers and future tournaments.
There was some change. Nike picked up Tahiti as a technical sponsor; some players had an experience on trial in Europe like Steevy Chong Hue did with FC Lorient, who back then featured in Ligue 1.
And yes, the memory of that adventure will stay with everyone forever, until they live on this Earth, but you would have hoped for a bigger push after such an outcome from an unexpected underdog.
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