KEY POINTS:
Vanuatu's Jean Robert Yelou (left) battles for the ball with James Naka of the Solomon Islands during the final of the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup 2007 qualifier at Narrowneck Beach yesterday.
After a disappointing start, New Zealand won the third place playoff against Tahiti.
New Zealand, who went ahead with a spectacular Mikael Munday goal, won 5-3 in an encouraging effort after the inauspicious start to the championship in which the hastily assembled team lost their three pool matches.
The final was a repeat of last year's showdown - with Solomon Islands upsetting previously unbeaten Vanuatu 5-3.
The Solomons, who were the first Oceania team apart from New Zealand or Australia to win through to a Fifa finals tournament when they represented the region at last year's beach championship, where they upset African champions Cameroon, will against represent the confederation at the November 2-15 finals in Rio de Janeiro.
The OFC beach championships, with strong support from North Shore City, will be played at the same venue for the next two years.
