Auckland United retain their Oceania Women's Champions League title

Auckland United FC have successfully defended their crown in the OFC Women’s Champions League, winning the final against Hekari FC from Papua New Guinea with a close 1-0 score at Stade Pater in Papeete today.

Both teams had arrived in the tournament decider after Auckland defeated Henderson Eels from the Solomon Islands 6-1 and Hekari with the same score against Fiji's Ba FC.

Sunday's match in Tahiti was a closely-contested one, with the lone goal coming from Kiwi midfielder Danielle Canham.

Despite facing a lot of pressure from the Papua New Guineans in the second half, the New Zealand women's club football champions held firm in defence to secure the victory.

For Hekari, the loss is particularly tough because they also lost last year's final by the same score.

They suffered a major setback before the final got underway, when playmaker Ramona Padio was injured in the game against the Fijians and ruled unavailable, which affected their performance against the Kiwis.

In the first half, Auckland United FC dominated the game, showing strong determination and controlling the midfield. The Kiwis nearly scored right from kickoff. Canham hit the crossbar with a powerful shot.

Striker Zoe Benson also came close to scoring for the Kiwis a little later, but her shot went wide of the goal.

Hekari striker Marie Kaipu struggled to get involved in the game due to limited support on attack, and she was unable to challenge Auckland's goalkeeper, Hannah Mitchell.

Auckland United FC's Chloe Knott on attack against Hekari FC from Papua New Guinea. Photo/Shane Wenzlick/phototek

Auckland finally broke through to score the game's only goal in the 26th minute.

After a corner kick, Yume Harashima passed the ball into the box, which Chloe Knott backheeled to Canham, who made no mistake getting the ball past the Hekari defence and goalie Gloria Laeli.

The Kiwis had another chance to extend their lead before halftime when Laeli mishandled the ball, but Knott missed the opportunity.

The second half started with more energy from Auckland, but Hekari made some crucial changes, which improved their game. Their best opportunity to equalise came in the 64th minute when Nenny Elipas found herself in front of the goal, but Mitchell made a fantastic save to deny the Papua New Guineans.

While Hekari continued to push forward, their passing was not quite sharp enough, and many chances went to waste.

Auckland United players celebrate Danielle Canham's goal against Hekari from Papua New Guinea. Photo/Shane Wenzlick/phototek

In the last 15 minutes of the game, Auckland United managed the game well, keeping possession and running down the clock to ensure their victory.

With the win, Auckland will participate in the first-ever FIFA Women’s Champions Cup next year, where they will compete against champions from other regions.

Auckland are also in a good position to represent Oceania in the FIFA Club World Cup set for 2028.

During the awards ceremony following Sunday's final, Tahiti's AS Pirae was recognised for Fair Play. Mitchell from Auckland won the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper in the tournament, team-mate Zoe Benson took home the Golden Boot for top scorer, and Saskia Vosper won the Golden Ball.