After 30 minutes of exhilarating extra time in tropical heat that saw Dani Canham put us ahead in the 105th minute, Auckland United FC are on their way to the 2024 OFC Women’s Champions League Final after triumphing over a spirited Tafea FC outfit 2 - 1.

Auckland United had claimed an early lead through Talisha Green’s cracking headed goal from a Dani Canham corner kick in the 10th minute, and controlled possession for much of the match before a resurgent Tafea FC drew level in the 82nd minute.

After 5 minutes of added time and with both sides starting to show signs of fatigue the score remained locked at 1 - 1 at the conclusion of regulation time.

That meant a brief but welcome water break before two more 15 minutes periods were played out in the Honiara heat.

After 105 minutes the deadlock was broken by Dani Canham who kept her composure to slot it home and make it 2 - 1.

In the end they hung on, defending with determination against a physical Tafea FC side to claim a spot in the final against Papua New Guinea’s Hekari United FC.

Talisha Green was once again a standout in defence, time and again disrupting play and making tackles with trademark gusto.

The 15-year-old Pia Vlok was also tireless against a physical opposition and continued to show her class deep into extra time to claim the Player of the Match award.

This was a really gritty effort from a very young United side to get through an energy sapping encounter against an experienced team from Vanuatu, who put up an incredibly tough fight through 2 hours of action!

After the match head coach Ben Bate was proud of the team’s effort and mentioned they would now focus on recovery before some light training ahead of the final on Saturday 23 March at 5:00PM NZT.

The OFC Women’s Champions League Final will be our Premier Women’s team’s 99th game, and 2 goals would lift their overall tally to 250 goals! 🤝

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