OFC Champions League: Tupapa Maraerenga 3-0 Nukuhetulu – Match Recap, Highlights & Standings
- Jake Stewart
- Jan 31
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 1
Veteran Englishman Daniel Bunch scored two goals to secure a comfortable victory against debutant Nukuhetulu.
In the first game of the preliminary rounds, Tupapa Maraerenga faced Nukuhetulu today(31), at the FFS Football Stadium in Apia. The Cook Islands' most traditional team entered the match as heavy favorites against the newcomer from Tonga.
Article about the previous match(OFC Pro League): https://www.sportsenews.online/post/ofc-pro-league-vanuatu-united-2-2-tahiti-united-match-recap-highlights-standings
Match Report
Tupapa Maraerenga 3x0 Nukuhetulu – OFC Champions League 2026 | First Round 1st Match
Venue: FFS Football Stadium, Apia (Samoa)
Attendance: 321
Date & Time: 01/31/2026
Referee:
Cards:
Goals: Bunch(10' 24'), Tuakana(29')
First Half
The Tupapa Maraerenga team entered the tournament as favorites, a status greatly accentuated by their foreign players such as the Englishmen Bunch and Mackenzie, and the young Fijian player Simpson, in addition to the tradition of participating in several editions and having qualified last year. Daniel Bunch opened the scoring after just 10 minutes, then made it 2-0 after 24 minutes, and before the half-time whistle, the young Tuakana scored the third goal.
Second Half
The second half, which showed very little promise given the 3-0 scoreline, saw the Tonga team return with the enthusiasm to open the scoring. Even without finding the net, they managed to maintain defensive resilience, preventing the Cook Islands team from scoring more goals.
Standings and next round
Tonga's newcomer will try to earn their first points against the American Samoan team, Pago Youth, while last year's winner of this round, Tupapa Maraerenga, will play against the home team from Samoa.
Watch all matches live:
Watch the highlights on YouTube:
Detailed information from the federation:
Comments