New Zealand win the 2008 OFC Nations Cup

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying review

AUCKLAND - Tuesday, 24 November 2009

With the preliminary competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaT now complete, Fiji striker Osea Vakatalesau has claimed the honour of finishing top-scorer, along with Burkina Faso's Moumouni Dagano, by grabbing a dozen goals from nine matches.

The official facts and figures, released by FIFA yesterday, show that Oceania recorded the highest goals per match average (4.02) across the six confederations, and the biggest win: Fiji-Tuvalu 16-0.

Vakatalesau grabbed six goals against Tuvalu and formed a lethal partnership with Roy Krishna throughout the qualifying campaign but it wasn't enough for the Fijians who finished eight points behind New Zealand.

Oceania Player of the Year Shane Smeltz took the spotlight in the crucial Stage 2 qualifying section with eight goals in five games before Rory Fallon sent the All Whites through with a lone strike against Bahrain in the second-leg play-off on 14 November.

FIFA's preliminary competition began in Samoa on 25 August 2007 and was wrapped up last Thursday in Montevideo, when Uruguay completed the line-up of 32 teams.

Attendance figures were up with some 20 million fans attending the 853 matches. However, there was a downward trend in the number of goals scored, with the total of 2,344 - or 2.75 per match - representing the lowest average since the preliminary competition for the finals in Italy in 1990.

For more facts and figures surrounding the preliminary competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaT, go to: http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/mencompwc/01/13/72/32/33things19.1 1.09.pdf NOTE: This release is available at www.oceaniafootball.com

OCEANIA QUALIFYING REVIEW

Oceania Nations Cup/2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaT Qualifiers - Oceania

STAGE 1 - XIII South Pacific Games Samoa 2007

Pool A Date Fixture Result

  • 25/8/07 Tahiti vs. New Caledonia 0-1
  • 25/8/07 Fiji vs. Tuvalu 16-0
  • 27/8/07 Tuvalu vs. New Caledonia 0-1
  • 27/8/07 Fiji vs. Cook Islands 4-0
  • 29/8/07 Tuvalu vs. Tahiti 1-1
  • 29/8/07 New Caledonia vs. Cook Islands 3-0
  • 1/9/07 Cook Islands vs. Tuvalu 4-1
  • 1/9/07 Tahiti vs. Fiji 0-4
  • 3/9/07 Cook Islands vs. Tahiti 0-1
  • 3/9/07 New Caledonia vs. Fiji 1-1 Pool B Date Fixture Result

  • 25/8/07 Solomon Islands vs. American Samoa 12-1
  • 25/8/07 Vanuatu vs. Samoa 4-0
  • 27/8/07 Solomon Islands vs. Tonga 4- 0
  • 27/8/07 American Samoa vs. Samoa 0- 7
  • 29/8/07 American Samoa vs. Vanuatu 0- 15
  • 29/8/07 Samoa vs. Tonga 2-1
  • 1/9/07 Tonga vs. American Samoa 4-0
  • 1/9/07 Vanuatu vs. Solomon Islands 0-2
  • 3/9/07 Samoa vs. Solomon Islands 0-3
  • 3/9/07 Tonga vs. Vanuatu 1-4

    Semi-Finals Date Fixture Result

  • 5/9/07 Solomon Islands vs. New Caledonia 2-3
  • 5/9/07 Fiji vs Vanuatu 3-0

    Bronze Medal Match Date Fixture Result

  • 7/9/07 Solomon Islands v Vanuatu 0-2

    Gold Medal Match Date Fixture Result

  • 7/9/07 Fiji vs New Caledonia 0-1

    NOTE: Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu qualify for Stage 2 of the OFC Nations Cup/2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaT Qualifiers

    STAGE 2 - Home and Away

    Date Fixture Result

  • 13.10.07 New Zealand vs. Fiji P - P*
  • 17.10.07 Fiji vs. New Zealand 0 - 2
  • 17.11.07 Vanuatu vs. New Zealand 1 - 2
  • 17.11.07 Fiji vs. New Caledonia 3 - 3
  • 21.11.07 New Zealand vs. Vanuatu 4 - 1
  • 21.11.07 New Caledonia vs. Fiji 4 - 0
  • 14.06.08 Vanuatu vs. New Caledonia 1 - 1
  • 21.06.08 New Caledonia vs. Vanuatu 3 - 0
  • 06.09.08 New Caledonia vs. New Zealand 1 - 3
  • 10.09.08 New Zealand vs. New Caledonia 3 - 0
  • 06.09.08 Fiji vs. Vanuatu 2 - 0
  • 10.09.08 Vanuatu vs. Fiji 2 - 1
  • 19.11.08 New Zealand vs. Fiji* 0 - 2

    NOTE: *New Zealand's home match with Fiji rescheduled for 19.11.08 at Churchill Park, Lautoka,.

    OCEANIA NATIONS CUP - TABLE 2009 [rd 6]
    Team P W D L F A Pts
    New Zealand 6 5 0 1 14 5 15
    New Caledonia 6 2 2 2 12 10 8
    Fiji Islands 6 2 1 3 8 11 7
    Vanuatu 6 1 1 4 5 14 4

    New Zealand qualify for the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009 and advance to the intercontinental play-off against the 5th placed Asian qualifier for a berth at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaT.

    STAGE 3 - Asia/Oceania play-off

    First Leg - 10 October, 2009

    Bahrain 0 New Zealand 0. HT: 0-0

    Second Leg - 14 November, 2009

    New Zealand* 1 (Rory Fallon 45) Bahrain 0 *New Zealand qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaT

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