Auckland City FC's Ryan De Vries against Rewa FC at the OFC Men's Champions League 2025 pool game at Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, Saturday 5 April 2025. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.nz
The four semifinalists at the OFC Men's Champions League 2025 in Honiara have been decided following the final rounds of pool matches at the weekend in Honiara.
Vanuatu's Ifira Black Bird FC will meet Auckland City FC in the first semifinal, while PNG's Hekari United FC will meet New Caledonia's AS Tiga Sport in the second at the National Stadium on Wednesday.
Ifira Black Bird FC qualified for the semifinals after a 1-1 draw with host club Central Coast FC, while Hekari United FC scored a big 9-0 victory over Cook Islands' Tupapa Maraerenga FC.
Central Coast substitute Clifford Fafale had three late chances to win the match and snatch progression from Ifira's hands, but missed all three as the Vanuatu representatives secured the point to see them progress, OFC media reported.
The result sets up a semifinal with 12-time champions Auckland City FC for Ifira Black Bird, and a repeat of their dramatic penalty shoot-out clash with the same side at the last four stage in 2023.
Following Hekari United FC's win over Tupapa Maraerenga FC earlier in the day, Ifira Black Bird knew a draw or better would see them through, whilst Central Coast needed a win.
The stakes were high as such, and the contest got off to a frenetic start in front of a good crowd, at a wet National Stadium.
New Caledonia's AS Tiga Sport drew 1-1 with Tahiti's AS Pirae in the final day of Group A play at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara on Friday.
The Tahitian side led at the half-time break, but Tiga came from behind, and profited from the dismissal of two Pirae players to claim the draw that keeps their tournament hopes alive.
It marks the first time the New Caledonian club will play in the semi-finals of the competition and is made even more remarkable by the fact that AS Tiga Sport hadn't played a competitive match since May 2024, prior to their arrival in the Solomon Islands.
Defending champions Auckland City FC drew 1-1 with Fiji's Rewa, but had won both their earlier pool games, making sure they will appear in the last four.
Rewa finished last in their pool.
The team's head coach Rodeck Singh told FBC Sports in Suva the result wasn't the way they wanted to wrap up their campaign.
Singh said his team enjoyed the challenge from their final opponents and despite signing off from the tournament.
"I think there's a lot of things, firstly in front of goal we missed a lot of chances even yesterday we missed a couple we could have won this game," Singh said.
"We will go and regroup, see the games again and make sure that we correct our finish."
Semi-finas are scheduled to start at 12pm on Wednesday.
