Tahiti to use 0-7 'spanking' as Confederations Cup impetus

Rio de Janeiro, June 6 (IANS)

Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta has described a 0-7 defeat to Chile’s under-20s as a “spanking” and hopes it will serve as an impetus to his team’s Confederations Cup football campaign.

The football minnows’ final warm-up match before arriving for the tournament in Brazil ended in humiliation with Manchester United striker Angelo Henriquez scoring a hat-trick in the Chilean city of Chillan, reports Xinhua.

“They are the South American champions at under-20 level and, in my opinion, will make a strong impression at the under-20 World Cup,” Etaeta said. “I really hope this defeat will act as a trigger for us and that we will react to this spanking.”

Currently ranked 135 by world football’s governing body FIFA, the Pacific island-nation qualified for the Confederations Cup by virtue of a 1-0 win over New Caledonia in the 2012 Oceania Nations Cup final.

Etaeta’s team has been included in Group B alongside reigning World Cup winners Spain, African champions Nigeria and Copa America holders Uruguay.

Their first match of the tournament is against Nigeria at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao stadium on June 17.