New Zealand scored a hard-earned but deserved 2-0 win over New Caledonia at QBE Stadium on November 12 to take the early advantage in their Oceania World Cup qualifying group. The All Whites signalled their intentions through captain Chris Wood, whose fourth minute thirty yard free-kick fizzed a foot over the bar. Five minutes later, he flicked the ball on for Costa Barbarouses, whose touch inside invited Marco Rojas to burst through. But Jorys Mene scurried across to deny him. New Caledonia first threatened in the fourteenth minute, a lively raid featuring playmaker Cesar Zeoula and the overlapping Roy Kayara, whose cross was not what it could have been, much like many of the All Whites' probing balls forward, many of which were caught by the wind and were ultimately over-hit. Twenty-five minutes into the half, the visitors fashioned the best chance of the match thus far. Zeoula's angled ball through invited the dangerous Georges Gope-Fenepej to dash in off the left. From the by-line, he pulled the ball back to the top of the penalty area, where Zeoula was striding onto a chance which he looked to steer into the far corner of the net, only for Bill Tuiloma to intervene. Three minutes later, the All Whites retorted through Liam Graham, whose lovely ball forward saw Wood harassing the retreating figure of Cedric Sansot, and forced goalkeeper Thomas Schmidt to come right to the edge of his penalty area and handle the ball on the line before clearing the danger. The All Whites gained confidence from this, and went closer still three minutes later. Clayton Lewis worked a one-two with Barbarouses before spreading play wide to Graham, who was taken out as he crossed the ball. Instead of focusing on stashing the ball in the back of the net, both Barbarouses and Wood, the targets for the delivery, immediately protested to referee Norbert Hauata about the foul, but the referee - who, it must be said, made some interesting interpretations throughout the half - allowed play to continue, and the chance was lost. There were chances at both ends in the 33rd minute, with another Wood free-kick, this time from twenty-five yards, curling round the wall and rattling the far post. New Caledonia immediately countered, with Zeoula leading the charge down the right before whipping in a cross intended for Gope-Fenepej to head home, only for Stefan Marinovic to punch the ball to safety. Two minutes later, the All Whites 'keeper nearly gifted the visitors the lead. Cleanly gathering a cross, Marinovic promptly threw the ball straight to Zeoula, who dragged his shot past the far post from the edge of the penalty area - a great chance spurned, and Zeoula knew it. Seven minutes before half-time, the All Whites went desperately close to opening the scoring. Themi Tzimopoulos pinged the ball forward from half-way, allowing Wood to use his height advantage once more. He flicked the ball on for Barbarouses, who was darting between defenders towards the edge of the penalty area. With Schmidt off his line, the lob was on, but the striker opted to steer the ball past the custodian, only to see the post intervene once more. New Caledonia's luck ran out three minutes before half-time, as the All Whites contrived a marvellous seven-man move which carved the visitors apart and earned its due reward, to the accompanying

sound of 8,103 fans roaring their approval. Rojas, Ryan Thomas and Lewis combined in midfield, with the last-mentioned bringing Graham into play. He picked out Barbarouses, who promptly brought Wood into play, the striker's touch allowing Rojas, who had raced downfield in support of the attack, to run across the covering defenders into the penalty area, from where he struck a shot which deflected off a defender and over the prone figure of Schmidt into the net. New Caledonia were rocked by the goal, but used the half-time break to redress the situation, and duly came on strong in the second half. Not before Barbarouses had been denied by Sansot's timely challenge on the edge of the area following Lewis' work on the right. The visitors piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser, with Zeoula leading the charge. He headed a Kayara cross narrowly over the bar from eight yards in the fiftieth minute, and followed that up six minutes later by working a one-two with Emile Bearune on the edge of the area before firing wide under the challenge of Deklan Wynne. The All Whites weathered the storm, and after Wood had directed a volley straight at Schmidt, upon receipt of Marinovic's clearance on the hour, they stepped up the pressure. Wood headed a Rojas free-kick narrowly over the bar five minutes later, while only Sansot's timely tackle thwarted Thomas as he looked to cap off a slick left flank raid featuring substitute Moses Dyer and Rojas. Eighteen minutes from time, the All Whites doubled their advantage. Tuiloma's ball forward was flicked on by Wood to substitute Monty Patterson, whose return pass was behind the captain. But Wood pivoted and back-heeled the ball into the stride of Rojas, who gleefully tapped in on the far post to clinch the win. New Caledonia were a beaten team with that goal, and they could have conceded more before the final whistle. Patterson headed a Rojas cross over from four yards after Dyer and Graham had combined on the right, while five minutes from time, Wood raced down the left before scything inside two defenders and drilling a low shot from the edge of the penalty area which Schmidt got down well to turn round his near post. Two Rojas set-pieces deserved better fate in the dying minutes. The New Caledonian defence failed to pick up Wood's run as Rojas' 88th minute corner sped across the goalmouth, but the striker missed his chance to score a goal his performance merited. And in stoppage time, a Rojas free-kick towards the near post saw Dyer rise to meet it, only for Mercier to beat him in the air and head the ball onto the roof of his own net. Tahitian referee Hauata promptly awarded a goal-kick, a decision in keeping with his inconsistent performance. That of the All Whites greatly pleased the gathered throngs, who headed home happy after seeing their heroes win on home soil for the first time since a 2-1 win over New Caledonia in Dunedin in March 2013. All Whites:     Marinovic; Tzimpoulos, Durante, Tuiloma (booked, 45); Graham (booked, 34), Thomas (Hudson-Wihongi, 79), Lewis (Dyer, 60), Rojas, Wynne; Barbarouses (Patterson, 60), Wood N. Caledonia:     Schmidt; Mene, Mercier (booked, 13), Sansot, Wadriako (Athale, 76); Zeoula (Sele, 83), Bearune, Wakanumune (Dahite, 89), Kayara, Gope-Fenepej; Kai Referee:     Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)