Soccer Oceania Championship 1996

Soccer Oceania Championship 1996
OFC Nations Cup 1996
Number of nations	4  (of 11 applicants)
Oceania Champion	Australia (2nd title)
venue	Return legs
Opening game	November 10, 1995
Endgame	November 1, 1996
Games	6th
Gates	18  (⌀: 3 per game)
spectator	61,279  (⌀: 10,213 per game)
Top scorer	Kris Trajanovski (7 goals)

The OFC Nations Cup 1996 ( Engl. : OFC Nations Cup ) was the third playout of an oceanic continental championship in football after 16 years of interruption, and was held of 10 November 1995 to 1 November 1996. Only four teams participated in the tournament: Australia , New Zealand , Tahiti and the Solomon Islands . However, there were two qualifying tournaments, the Melanesia Cup in 1994 and the Polynesia Cup in 1994. Australia and New Zealand were set for the main competition. Its games were played back and forth.

Australia qualified as tournament winners and Oceania champions for the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia.

qualification

The Solomon Islands as representatives of Melanesia qualified via the Melanesia Cup in July 1994 in the Solomon Islands and Tahiti as representatives of Polynesia via the Polynesia Cup in November 1994 in Samoa.

Main competition

Semifinals

November 10, 1995 in Christchurch ( Queen Elizabeth II Park ) 1
New Zealand	-	Australia	0-0
November 15, 1995 in Newcastle ( Breakers Stadium )
Australia	-	New Zealand	3: 0 (2: 0)
total
New Zealand	-	Australia	0: 3

November 17, 1995 in Honiara ( Lawson Tama Stadium )
Solomon Islands	-	Tahiti	0: 1 (0: 0)
May 11, 1996 in Papeete ( Stade Pater Te Hono Nui )
Tahiti	-	Solomon Islands	2: 1 (0: 0)
total
Solomon Islands	-	Tahiti	1: 3

¹The semi-final between New Zealand and Australia was also the sixth playout of the Trans-Tasman Cup .

Finals

First leg

Tahiti		Australia
	Sunday, October 27, 1996 in Papeete / Tahiti ( Olympic Stadium Papeete ) Result: 0: 6 (0: 5) Spectators: 5,000 Referee: Barry Tasker ( New Zealand )
	Ricky Fassain - Jean Ludivion , Coco Fenuati , John Thunot , Rupena Raumati , Tatahio Auraa , Reynald Temarii , Tehina Tahitotera , Jean-Loup Rousseau , Farahia Teuiria , Haimana Vaiho Trainer: Umberto Mottini	Zeljko Kalac - Milan Ivanović , Robert Hooker (65th Robert Enes ), Milan Blagojevic , Alex Tobin , Tony Popovic , Craig Foster , Ernie Tapai (70th Paul Wade ), Alistair Edwards , Paul Trimboli , Kris Trajanovski Trainer: Eddie Thomson
		0: 1 Ernie Tapai (5th) 0: 2 Paul Trimboli (20th) 0: 3 Kris Trajanovski (25th) 0: 4 Kris Trajanovski (28th) 0: 5 Kris Trajanovski (44th) 0: 6 Kris Trajanovski (89.)

Return leg

Australia		Tahiti
	Friday, November 1st, 1996 in Canberra / Australia ( Canberra Stadium ) Result: 5: 0 (4: 0) Spectators: 9,421 Referee: Intaz Shah ( Fiji )
	Zeljko Kalac - Milan Ivanović , Robert Hooker , Alex Tobin , Tony Popovic , Craig Foster (76th Robert Enes ), Matthew Bingley , Paul Wade (60th Jason Polak ), Ernie Tapai , Paul Trimboli , Kris Trajanovski (60th Warren Spink ) Trainer: Eddie Thomson	Laurent Heinis - Jean Ludivion , Eric Etaeta , Tatahio Auraa , Jean-Paul Wong , Reynald Temarii , Tehina Tahitotera , Jean-Loup Rousseau (66th Gatien Maheanuu ), Rupena Raumati (46th Stephane Tuairau ), Farahia Teuiria , Patrick Appriou (80th) . Heimana Vaiho ) coach: Umberto Mottini
	1-0 Robert Hooker (11th) 2-0 Kris Trajanovski (21st) 3-0 Rupena Raumati (31st, own goal) 4-0 Kris Trajanovski (36th) 5-0 Kris Trajanovski (54th)

List of goalscorers

rank	player	Gates
1	Kris Trajanovski	7th
2	Jean-Loup Rousseau	2
3	Robert Hooker	1
	Damian Mori	1
	Ernest Tapai	1
	Joseph Spiteri	1
	Paul Trimboli	1
	Paul Wade	1
	Macha Gatien	1
	Robert Seni	1
ET	Rupena Raumati	1

Web links

• Details about the 1996 competition at rsssf.com