Tahiti at the FIFA Confederations Cup
Tahiti has only participated in the FIFA Confederations Cup once in the 2013 edition after winning the 2012 OFC Nations Cup. The team finished last, and was defeated in all matches with harsh results
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup
By winning the 2012 OFC Nations Cup, Tahiti qualified for the 2013 Confederations Cup, held in Brazil, for the first time.[1] Tahiti is the first – and, following the tournament's abolition, only – team which participated in the Confederations Cup but has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. On 17 June 2013, Tahiti lost 1–6 to Nigeria in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Belo Horizonte, with Jonathan Tehau scoring the goal for Tahiti in the second half with a header from a corner; Tahiti fans still rejoiced in the prospect of scoring a goal in an international tournament.[2] On 20 June, Tahiti lost 10–0 against Spain to equal their largest ever loss against New Zealand nine years earlier.[3] On 23 June 2013, Tahiti was beaten 8–0 by Uruguay.[4]
In all, Tahiti conceded 24 goals and scored 1 to end with a goal differential of −23, the worst of any national team in any major competition.[5] However, even with the poor record and heavy defeats, Tahiti's underdog qualities gathered significant respect from the people of Brazil, who always cheered for them in every match.[6] Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque, and strikers Fernando Torres and David Villa – who scored four and three goals respectively against Tahiti – complimented the team's fair play.[7]
Squad
Head coach: Eddy Etaeta
Etaeta named his 23-man squad on 24 May 2013.[8]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Mikaël Roche | (1982-12-24)24 December 1982 (aged 30) | 6 | 0 |  AS Dragon |
| 2 | 4FW | Alvin Tehau | (1989-04-10)10 April 1989 (aged 24) | 16 | 6 | AS Tefana |
| 3 | 4FW | Marama Vahirua | (1980-05-12)12 May 1980 (aged 33) | 0 | 0 |  Nancy[a] |
| 4 | 2DF | Teheivarii Ludivion | (1989-07-01)1 July 1989 (aged 23) | 15 | 1 | AS Tefana |
| 5 | 2DF | Tamatoa Wagemann | (1980-03-18)18 March 1980 (aged 33) | 6 | 0 | AS Dragon |
| 6 | 3MF | Henri Caroine | (1981-09-07)7 September 1981 (aged 31) | 6 | 0 | AS Dragon |
| 7 | 3MF | Heimano Bourebare | (1989-05-15)15 May 1989 (aged 24) | 12 | 1 | AS Tefana |
| 8 | 2DF | Stephane Faatiarau | (1990-03-13)13 March 1990 (aged 23) | 11 | 1 | AS Tefana |
| 9 | 4FW | Teaonui Tehau | (1992-09-01)1 September 1992 (aged 20) | 16 | 8 | AS Dragon |
| 10 | 2DF | Nicolas Vallar (c) | (1983-10-22)22 October 1983 (aged 29) | 12 | 3 | AS Dragon |
| 11 | 4FW | Stanley Atani | (1990-01-27)27 January 1990 (aged 23) | 15 | 5 | AS Tefana |
| 12 | 2DF | Edson Lemaire | (1990-10-31)31 October 1990 (aged 22) | 3 | 0 | AS Dragon |
| 13 | 4FW | Steevy Chong Hue | (1990-01-26)26 January 1990 (aged 23) | 19 | 7 | AS Dragon |
| 14 | 3MF | Rainui Aroita | (1994-01-25)25 January 1994 (aged 19) | 1 | 0 | AS Tamarii Faa'a |
| 15 | 3MF | Lorenzo Tehau | (1989-04-10)10 April 1989 (aged 24) | 18 | 7 | AS Tefana |
| 16 | 4FW | Ricky Aitamai | (1991-12-22)22 December 1991 (aged 21) | 1 | 0 | AS Vénus |
| 17 | 3MF | Jonathan Tehau | (1988-01-09)9 January 1988 (aged 25) | 22 | 4 | AS Tamarii Faa'a |
| 18 | 3MF | Yohann Tihoni | (1994-07-20)20 July 1994 (aged 18) | 1 | 0 | AS Roniu |
| 19 | 2DF | Vincent Simon | (1983-09-28)28 September 1983 (aged 29) | 21 | 1 | AS Dragon |
| 20 | 2DF | Yannick Vero | (1990-02-28)28 February 1990 (aged 23) | 5 | 0 | AS Dragon |
| 21 | 4FW | Samuel Hnanyine | (1984-03-01)1 March 1984 (aged 29) | 1 | 1 | AS Dragon |
| 22 | 1GK | Gilbert Meriel | (1986-11-11)11 November 1986 (aged 26) | 3 | 0 | AS Tefana |
| 23 | 1GK | Xavier Samin | (1978-01-01)1 January 1978 (aged 35) | 28 | 0 | AS Dragon |
- ^ Marama Vahirua was on loan at Panthrakikos.
Group stage
Standings
| Pos | Team
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Spain | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 |  Uruguay | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 6 | |
| 3 |  Nigeria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Tahiti | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 24 | −23 | 0 |
Source: FIFA
Tahiti vs Nigeria
       Tahiti[9] |      Nigeria[9] |
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| Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Spain vs Tahiti
This game holds the record for the biggest margin of victory in a FIFA senior men's tournament. The previous record was nine goals which occurred three times: first when Hungary beat South Korea 9–0 at the 1954 FIFA World Cup; second when Yugoslavia defeated Zaire by the same score in 1974; and third when Hungary beat El Salvador 10–1 in 1982.[11]
     Spain[12] | Tahiti[12] |
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| Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Uruguay vs Tahiti
    Uruguay[14] | Tahiti[14] |
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| Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Goalscorers
| Goals | Player | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Tehau | 2012 |
See also
References
- ^ "Proud Tahiti No1 aims to enjoy Brazil challenge". FIFA.com. FIFA. 14 March 2013. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "Nigeria 6−1 Tahiti". BBC Sport. BBC. 17 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ "Spain 10−0 Tahiti". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ "Uruguay 8−0 Tahiti". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ "FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 - Statistics - Teams - Top goals". FIFA.com. FIFA. 1 July 2013. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ "Técnico confirma 'carisma' do Taiti e cumprimenta jornalistas na despedida". UOL Esporte (in Portuguese). 23 June 2013. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ "Nada de pancadaria: 'fair play' do Taiti em goleada arranca elogios da Fúria". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 21 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ "La liste des 23 Toa Aito pour le Brésil" [List of the 23 Toa Aito for Brasil] (in French). FTF. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Tahiti-Nigeria" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ "Tahiti v Nigeria – Man of the Match". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2013. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ "Hungria é o país que mais goleou em jogos da Copa do Mundo". The Brazilian Post (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 19 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Spain-Tahiti" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Spain v Tahiti – Man of the Match". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Group B – Uruguay-Tahiti" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- ^ "Uruguay v Tahiti – Man of the Match". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 June 2013. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
