Vanuatu defeated New Caledonia 4-1 in this international friendly. New Caledonia opened the scoring at 14:03 before Vanuatu levelled by 23:04, setting up a second half where the home side seized control. The match finished with a clear home-side win after a brisk late-stage blitz.

The most consequential phase was the second half, where Vanuatu registered three goals within roughly seven minutes (1:18:53, 1:24:40, 1:32:50), flipping the match in their favour. This rapid sequence suggests a higher tempo and more incisive finishing once the home team found a foothold. Vanuatu also benefited from a greater set-piece burden, taking five corners to New Caledonia’s two and converting that pressure into a goal-scoring return.

Defensively, New Caledonia conceded four goals, indicating a vulnerability after halftime when Vanuatu’s momentum intensified. Discipline skewed slightly in Vanuatu’s favour, as they collected three yellow cards to New Caledonia’s one, with no red cards issued. Fouls were close (12 by Vanuatu, 11 by New Caledonia), pointing to a closely contested and competitive narrative rather than a heavily dirty open game.

From a teamwork perspective, Vanuatu demonstrated better cohesion in transition and a clearer structure after the break, which facilitated their rapid goal production. New Caledonia’s early lead dissolved as Vanuatu’s pressing and faster link-up play disrupted their shape in the second half. The data implies Vanuatu’s second-half execution and set-piece planning carried the greater impact on the result.

Bettors might note the strong correlation between Vanuatu’s set-piece opportunities and their goal conversion in this fixture, alongside a pronounced momentum swing after halftime. The rapid, successive goals in the second half underscore the value of tempo shifts when a trailing team increases intensity. Without player-level data, the takeaway is to weigh second-half momentum and set-piece threat when evaluating similar friendlies in the future.

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