Tahiti triumphant despite thumping Confed Cup defeat

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Jonathan Tehau celebrates with his team-mates after scoring Tahiti’s first goal during their Confederations Cup 2013 Group B match against Nigeria at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Getty Images A general view of the Governador Magalhaes Pinto Estadio Mineirao stadium on June 17, 2013 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, during the Confederations Cup 2013 Group B match between Tahiti and Nigeria. Photo: Getty Images Tahiti's players line up for a team photo before their Confederations Cup 2013 Group B match against Nigeria at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Reuters Nigeria's players line up for a team photo before their Confederations Cup 2013 Group B match against Tahiti at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Reuters Nigeria’s Uwa Elderson Echiejile competes with Marama Vahirua of Tahiti during the Confederations Cup 2013 Group B match between Tahiti and Nigeria at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Getty Images Nigeria's Uwa Echiejile shoots to score against Tahiti during their Confederations Cup Group B match at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Reuters Nnamdi Oduamadi scores Nigeria’s second goal during their Confederations Cup 2013 Group B match against Tahiti at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Getty Images Nigeria's players celebrate their Nnambi Oduamadi's goal during their Confederations Cup Group B match against Tahiti at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Reuters Jonathan Tehau scores Tahiti’s first goal during their Confederations Cup 2013 Group B match against Nigeria at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Getty Images Jonathan Tehau celebrates after scoring Tahiti’s first goal during their Confederations Cup 2013 Group B match against Nigeria at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Getty Images Jonathan Tehau celebrates with his team-mates after scoring Tahiti’s first goal during their Confederations Cup 2013 Group B match against Nigeria at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 17, 2013. Photo: Getty Images

Plucky underdogs, ranked No 138 in the world, avoid complete humiliation in 6-1 loss to Nigeria mailprintView all commentsTweet Share on Tumblr 14 hours 5 min ago

BELO HORIZONTE — Tahiti avoided humiliation yesterday (May 17) in its debut at a global football tournament by scoring a goal in a 6-1 loss to Nigeria at the Confederations Cup.

With Tahiti’s government interrupting its weekly cabinet meeting to watch the game on television, the players from a Pacific island paradise turned a heavy loss into a victory by scoring the rare goal.

Jonathan Tehau headed in a goal early in the second half to reduce the team’s deficit to 3-1. The Tahitians then gave their rowing boat “Paddle” celebration its biggest audience yet.

The goal generated the biggest cheers of the match at the Mineirao Stadium, where the local Brazilians adopted Tahiti as their team while jeering the Nigerians.

“It’s just huge,” Tehau said. “Already, coming here to Brazil, and then scoring the goal, I’m very happy for me, for my family, my friends and my team-mates.”

“My first thoughts are for my family and my parents because they give me the opportunity to play football when I was a kid and today I scored,” he added.

Tahiti, from the South Pacific and 138th in Fifa’s rankings, is used to playing in front of a few hundred players. But thousands were watching in Belo Horizonte and millions more on television.

“We’ve shown the world there’s some real quality in Tahiti,” said Marama Vahirua, the only professional in Tahiti’s team. “Just our presence here is a victory and it was fantastic to be adopted by the Brazilian public.”

Tehau’s elation was short-lived, however. Shortly after scoring, he netted an own-goal.

Nnamdi Oduamadi scored a hat-trick for African champion Nigeria, while Uwa Echiejile added the other two.

Although there was never any threat of anything but a Nigeria victory, Tahiti showed adventure throughout, managing five shots.

“The last 15 minutes were really difficult for us physically because we’ve never experienced such a tough game before,” Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta said. “I’d like to pay tribute to my players, they were fantastic.”

Etaeta said the cabinet stopped its meeting to watch the game, “along with the rest of Tahiti”.

The crowd of 20,187 chanted “Tahiti” throughout as they watched the team for the first time.

The expectations were that Tahiti would be overawed but it managed to claim the first shot on goal after just two minutes, when defender Vincent Simon struck a low effort.

But a mix-up in the defence allowed Nigeria to go in front three minutes later.

A shot from Echiejile from 20 yards pinged off Alvin Tehau, and took a final deflection off Nicolas Vallar which wrong-footed goalkeeper Xavier Samin as the ball landed in the net.

A misplaced Tahiti pass allowed Nigeria to double its lead in the 10th, with Nnamdi Oduamadi beating two players before scoring.

Oduamadi was on target again in the 26th after Samin spilled Ahmed Musa’s cross.

The Tahitians did regularly get the ball into Nigerian territory, but finishing was weak.

Nigeria appeared to be taking the game too casually, missing a succession of chances.

And at the start of the second half, Nigeria was stunned when Vahirua floated a corner in and Tehau rose above Efe Ambrose and headed in home at back post.

But in the 69th, Tehau turned the ball into his own net from Oduamadi’s cross.

Oduamadi’s hat trick was completed when he turned in the ball from close range from Brown Ideye’s cross and Echiejile slammed in the sixth in the 80th. AP

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