WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Caledonia's 36-year-old striker Georges Gope-Fenepej scored twice in his team's 3-0 win over Tahiti in an Oceania qualifying semifinal Friday which left it one step away from the 2026 World Cup.
The 14-year international veteran collected the rebound from captain Cesar Zeoula's saved shot in the 50th minute and delicately chipped the ball into the Tahiti goal from close range.
In the 75th, he launched a spectacular left-foot shot from 30 meters, catching the goalkeeper off his line. Substitute Lues Waya added to the scoring in stoppage time as New Caledonia advanced to the Oceania qualifying final against the winner of Friday's later semifinal between New Zealand and Fiji.
“We're all obviously football fans so to see someone like Georges play and the display he put on today is absolutely magnifique and wonderful,” New Caledonia coach Johann Sidaner said.
The winner of the Oceania qualifying series will gain direct entry to the World Cup for the first time. That means the victor in Monday's final in Auckland, New Zealand will join hosts Canada, the United States and Mexico and Japan, which on Thursday became the first nation to qualify for the 48-team tournament.
The loser of the Oceania final will still have a chance to qualify through an intercontinental playoff.
The decision to award direct entry to Oceania offers an historic opportunity to some of soccer's smallest nations. New Zealand with a population of 5 million, ranked 89, is the largest and highest-ranked of the Oceania nations and has qualified twice before, in Spain in 1982 and South Africa in 2010.
Friday's semifinal in Wellington brought together two French-speaking nations from the South Pacific: New Caledonia ranked No. 152 and with a population of 290,000 and Tahiti with a population of 281,000 ranked No. 153.
New Caledonia had to overcome political unrest in its homeland to qualify for Friday's match. Violent protests against voting reforms broke out last year, leaving 13 dead before the French army was deployed to restore order.
New Caledonia dominated a scoreless first half, except for a short period in the opening minutes when Tahiti's Eddy Kaspard troubled the defense on the right side. Matatia Paama was a massive figure for Tahiti in a defense under constant pressure.
After Gope-Fenepej's first goal, Tahiti had a chance through Teaonui Tehau whose header was saved by keeper Rocky Nyikeine. After the second, Eddy Kaspard seemed to have pulled one back for Tahiti but was ruled offside.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
