Football Oceania Championship 2008
| Football Oceania Championship 2008 | |
|---|---|
| OFC Nations Cup 2008 | |
|
|
| Number of nations | 4 (of 11 applicants) |
| Oceania Champion |
 New Zealand (4th title)
|
| venue | Return legs |
| Opening game | October 17, 2007 (First game of the league round.) |
| Endgame | November 19, 2008 (Last game of the league round.) |
| Games | 12 |
| Gates | 39 (⌀: 3.25 per game) |
| spectator | 36,490 (⌀: 3,041 per game) |
| Top scorer |
Shane Smeltz (8 goals)
|
The OFC Nations Cup 2008 ( English OFC Nations Cup ) was the eighth playout of oceanic continental championship in football and was held of 17 October 2007 to 19 November, 2008. Only four teams participated in the tournament: Fiji , New Zealand , New Caledonia and Vanuatu . Australia was no longer part of the field for the first time after joining the Asian Football Association in 2006. New Zealand was set for the main competition. The remaining three teams qualified through the soccer tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games . The competition was not played in the form of a tournament in one country, but in the league format everyone against everyone with home and away games and at the same time served as a qualification for the Oceania zone for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa .
New Zealand were Oceania champions for the fourth time and qualified for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.
qualification
The qualification took place as part of the soccer tournament at the South Pacific Games from August 25 to September 8, 2007 in Samoa, which was also the 1st round of the Oceania qualification for the 2010 World Cup . Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu qualified as medal winners alongside seeded New Zealand for the main competition of the Oceania Championship.
Main competition
The league format competition was also the 2nd round of Oceania qualification for the 2010 World Cup.
| Pl. | country | Sp. | S. | U | N | Gates | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
New Zealand
|
6th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14: 5 | +9 | 15th |
| 2. |
 New Caledonia
|
6th | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12:10 | +2 | 8th |
| 3. |
 Fiji
|
6th | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8:11 | −3 | 7th |
| 4th |
 Vanuatu
|
6th | 1 | 1 | 4th | 5:13 | −8 | 4th |
| October 17, 2007 | |||
| Fiji | - | New Zealand | 0: 2 |
| November 17, 2007 | |||
| Vanuatu | - | New Zealand | 1: 2 |
| Fiji | - | New Caledonia | 3: 3 |
| November 21, 2007 | |||
| New Zealand | - | Vanuatu | 4: 1 |
| New Caledonia | - | Fiji | 4-0 |
| June 14, 2008 | |||
| Vanuatu | - | New Caledonia | 1: 1 |
| June 21, 2008 | |||
| New Caledonia | - | Vanuatu | 3-0 |
| September 6, 2008 | |||
| New Caledonia | - | New Zealand | 1: 3 |
| Fiji | - | Vanuatu | 2-0 |
| September 10, 2008 | |||
| New Zealand | - | New Caledonia | 3-0 |
| Vanuatu | - | Fiji | 2: 1 |
| November 19, 2008 | |||
| New Zealand | - | Fiji | 0: 2 1 |
1 The match between New Zealand and Fiji, scheduled for October 13, 2007, was canceled by FIFA as New Zealand refused to issue an entry visa to Fijian goalkeeper Simione Tamanisau. This game was supposed to be played on November 19, 2008 on a neutral court in Apia (Samoa), but then took place in Lautoka (Fiji).
Oceania champions New Zealand played in the intercontinental play-offs of the World Cup qualifiers against the Asian representatives Bahrain 0-0 and 1-0 and qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Best goal scorers
| rank | player | Gates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Shane Smeltz
|
8th |
| 2 |
Michel Hmaé
|
5 |
| 3 |
David Mulligan
|
3 |
| 4th |
Osea Vakatalesau
|
2 |
|
Roy Krishna
|
2 | |
|
Maciu Dunadamu
|
2 | |
|
Ramon Djamali
|
2 | |
|
Pierre Wajoka
|
2 | |
|
François Sakama
|
2 |
Another 11 players with one goal each.