However the Fijians fought back in the second half to secure a 3-2 victory over the Qualifier winners before Tahiti beat New Caledonia 2-1 in the day’s late match.
The kick-off for the opening match was delayed by two hours following disruptions to the flight arrangements for Samoa, but that barely registered for the side as they settled easily into the encounter.
So much so, within the first 10 minutes they’d had more shots than their opponent, and were rewarded with a seventh minute goal courtesy of captain Lotial Mano with an impressive back-heel.
