Soccer: Islanders ready to tackle big boys

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Almost 40 years after its formation, the Oceania Football Confederation will host their seventh Nations Cup tournament over the next nine days in Adelaide.

The stakes have never been higher.

The top two countries after five round-robin matches will meet this year in a home and away play-off to find the OFC representative at next year's Confederations Cup in Germany.

The same two countries will meet for a second time (again home and away) late next year with that winner going on to challenge for the last place in the 2006 World Cup.

The Nations Cup has produced its share of upsets including two 1-0 wins by New Zealand over Australia.

Those results, in 1998 and 2002, were particularly significant in allowing the All Whites to claim places at Confederations Cup tournaments in Mexico and France and huge paydays for New Zealand Soccer.

New Zealand and Australia have shared Nations Cup honours with three wins each.

New Zealand, as hosts, and with no Australian entry, won the inaugural tournament in 1973. The second, seven years later in Noumea, was a disaster for New Zealand.

Most of the eight teams, playing in two groups, produced some good football at the Magenta Stadium in the New Caledonian capital.

New Zealand was not one of them.

Struggling with injuries after two warm-up matches in Fiji, New Zealand, with John Adshead as coach, lost 3-1 first up to Tahiti before being thumped 4-0 by Fiji. Their 6-1 win over the Solomon Islands brought no joy. Australia beat Tahiti 4-2 in the final.

The Nations Cup sat untouched for 16 years after that tournament.

Fifa's plan to introduce the Confederations Cup to their calendar led to the rebirth of a Nations Cup contest of sorts in 1996.

To find their representative at the 1997 Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia, the OFC pitted Australia, the winner of the Transtasman Cup, against Polynesian Cup winners Tahiti.

In two matches, home and away, Australia put 11 goals past Tahiti without reply.

The cup returned to a tournament format in 1998 with Australia fielding an under-strength side but one still good enough to reach the final and a first-ever Nations Cup clash between the transtasman rivals.

In an epic match in Brisbane, New Zealand, with a well-taken first half Mark Burton goal, upset the hosts 1-0 to book their tickets to Guadalajara and their first appearance on the international stage since the 1982 World Cup.

Stung, Australia ensured they had something closer to a full-strength side for the 2000 Nations Cup in Papeete.

New Zealand and Australia won through to the final, won 2-0 by the Socceroos, but the tournament marked the emerging threat of island nations football.

Among Australia's victories en route to the final was their 1-0 semifinal win over Vanuatu with that goal from the penalty spot.

New Zealand too had to battle to get past the Solomon Islands 2-0 and come from a goal down to beat Vanuatu 3-1.

That improvement from the lesser nations continued in Auckland two years ago. Australia needed a very late goal from defender Mehmet Durakovic at Mt Smart Stadium to take their semifinal against Tahiti into extra time where the Socceroos got home 2-1 and a spot in the final against the All Whites.

In a repeat of the 1998 epic, New Zealand won 1-0 with Ryan Nelsen's goal enough to book the All Whites a second Confederations Cup ticket.

This year promises more of the same but with the well-prepared Pacific nations ready to take it to the heavyweights and show they have really emerged.