New Zealand's All Whites eased past an impotent Fiji outfit 2-0 at Westpac Stadium on March 28 to advance to the final round of the Oceania Football Confederation's World Cup qualifying programme as unbeaten group winners. Anthony Hudson's side again prioritised an effective victory over an electrifying performance in front of the 10,133 fans present, the vast majority of whom would have been surprised to see Andrew Durante leading the team out, with Chris Wood having picked up a knock against Fiji. With Wood or without, it was fairly clear from the outset of this contest that Fiji weren't going to pose much of a threat to the All Whites' rearguard, save for the odd cameo - those in the eighth and sixtieth minutes spring to mind - from their captain, Roy Krishna. In a match they had to win to keep their own hopes of World Cup glory alive, the visitors set out their stall with a very defensive mind-set, effectively inviting their hosts to try and break them down. It was a task which the All Whites addressed with relish, and achieved successfully with their general approach play. But all too often that enterprise was undone by a poorly executed final pass, cross or shot, meaning many a move of much potential was unfulfilled. The instances when they did get the mix right, however, were well worthy of note, with the first of them materialising in the eighteenth minute. Ryan Thomas and Clayton Lewis worked a double one-two - the first outside the penalty area, the second inside - which allowed the former to let fly from ten yards. Beniamino Maetinaqara, Fiji's goalkeeper, produced a tremendous reflex save to keep this attempt out, and swatted away a twenty-five yarder from Lewis two minutes later, before seeing a Marco Rojas drive blocked to safety by one of his defenders. The resulting corner was worked short, with Lewis clipping the ball into the near post. Rising to meet it was Tommy Smith, whose glancing header crashed against the crossbar. Fiji scrambled the sphere to seeming safety following this 25th minute scare, but two minutes later, their defences had finally been breached. Seventeen-year-old debutant Dane Ingham linked with Lewis on the right, with the midfielder's cross being headed out by Taniela Waqa. Unfortunately for Fiji, it landed at the feet of Rojas, who played it into Shane Smeltz. His deft lay-off was exquisite, a real 'buffet ball' which Thomas didn't hesitate to help himself to, despatching the ball in the corner of the net in unerring fashion from twenty yards - 1-0. Many among those present at "The Caketin" and watching on TV around the country would have expected that goal to break Fiji's resolve, and be the first of many which the All Whites would score in the second of potentially twelve internationals they will play in 2017.

'Twas not to be, however, although it wasn't for the want of trying. Smeltz just failed to make contact with a Rojas free-kick in the 33rd minute - Maetinaqara made another fine reflex save to deal with the threat it posed - while inventive play by both Ingham and Michael Boxall in the next few minutes went unrewarded, as did efforts from Thomas and Smeltz late in the half. Fiji's desperation was summed up by a couple of wild, wayward, long-range efforts prior to the half-time whistle, and the aggressive tone they adopted after it - about half the All Whites' players will have unique Fijian keepsakes from this contest, not the sort one tends to find in souvenir shops either! The natives responded in the best way possible - by maintaining their standards and not dropping down to their opponents' level. Maetinaqara punched a Rojas cross off the head of Boxall in the 53rd minute, while Smeltz just failed to get on the end of a Tom Doyle cross two minutes later. Lewis then saw one of his trademark piledrivers blocked, while Rojas went desperately close with a thirty yard free-kick on the hour, before the job was completed in the 68th minute. A quite delightful move started on the right with the Ingham brothers - substitute Jai had joined his younger family member on the pitch by now - starting a move which saw the ball worked to the tireless Michael McGlinchey. He linked with Rojas, who spread play wide to marauding fullback Doyle, from whom a pinpoint cross to the near post was well anticipated by Thomas. The Dutch-based starlet met the ball with a sumptuous glancing header which beat Maetinaqara all ends up as it arrowed across him into the far corner of the net - 2-0. There was no way back for Fiji now, and the All Whites went into cruise mode for the last twenty minutes, interspersed with the odd attacking threat. Such as that in the 72nd minute, when a neat move featuring Rojas, Smeltz, Thomas, Rojas again and the lively Doyle culminated in a cross which allowed Smeltz to get the better of Fiji's 'keeper in the air, for once. Sadly for Smeltz, the blue wall rallied to get Maetinaqara out of trouble, and also stood firm in the face of shots from, among others, McGlinchey. Smeltz had a goal ruled out by the offside flag eight minutes from time, before wild efforts from Dane Ingham and Rojas rounded out a routine All Whites victory, but one which sees them move to within four matches of a place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals in Russia. All Whites:     Marinovic; Boxall, Durante, Smith; D. Ingham, Lewis (booked, 17) (J. Ingham, 61), McGlinchey, Thomas (Rufer, 84), Doyle; Rojas, Smeltz (Dyer, 90) Fiji:          Maetinaqara; Prasad (Tuilau, 40 (booked, 48)), Sivoki, Waqa, Tekiate; Hughes, Suwamy (Drova, 57), Radrigai, Saukuru; Vakatalesau (booked, 75) (Drudru, 72), Krishna Referee:     Kader Zitouni (Tahiti)