New Zealand's All Whites confirmed their place in the intercontinental play-off for a place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals on September 5, despite squandering a two-goal lead in being held to a 2-2 draw by the Solomon Islands at Honiara's Lawson Tama Stadium. The host nation began brightly against their under-strength opponents, Gagame Feni twice giving Stefan Marinovic cause for concern inside the opening ten minutes. But it was the All Whites who opened the scoring in the fifteenth minute, the move ignited by Monty Patterson's great switch of play from left flank to right. Arriving on cue to meet the ball was Storm Roux, whose rifled drive cannoned off the near post and rebounded to Costa Barbarouses. His shot was parried by Philip Mango, but before the goalkeeper could recover the ball, Myer Bevan swooped to open the scoring. The striker was one of four changes to the All Whites' starting line-up from that which had trounced the Solomons 6-1 in Auckland four days previously, with Anthony Hudson naming a reduced squad for the return leg of the Oceania play-off, given the tie was effectively over. It certainly was following Bevan's goal, and Barbarouses was only inches away from doubling their second leg lead mere seconds afterwards, on a ground which was cutting up in places, a result of tropical weather prior to the match. Spurred on by a terrific-sized crowd - they love their football in the Solomons, make no mistake! - "Los Bonitos" went about netting an equaliser, only being denied one in the eighteenth minute by Marinovic, who turned Benjamin Totori's twenty yard drive to safety after Jerry Donga had caught Patterson in possession on half-way. The offside flag came to the All Whites rescue sixty seconds later, Totori's shot on the turn rebounding off the post before Qatari referee Abdulraham Al Jassim awarded the free-kick. Marinovic sent the resulting free-kick downfield, the ball ending up with Barbarouses on the left. He did Henry Fa'arodo like a kipper with a delightful piece of skill before whipping in a cross which Nelson Sale inadvertently headed into his own net - 2-0 after 21 minutes. That goal certainly silenced the natives, as it now meant the All Whites were leading the tie 8-1 on aggregate - no "We're going to win 9-8!" chants were forthcoming from the thousands who had taken up every conceivable vantage point to see their local heroes in action. It wasn't long before their spirits were lifted, however. Seven minutes after the own goal, the ball was in the net at the right end of the park as far as the Solomons were concerned, Micah Lea'alafa despatching a penalty with consummate ease, having been tripped by Andrew Durante.

Five minutes later, the visitors went close to restoring their two-goal advantage when Moses Dyer's shot deceived Mango and hit the post. But five minutes before the break the host nation could well have drawn level, and would have done had Lea'alafa's ferocious twenty-five yarder not been superbly tipped over the bar by Marinovic. The Solomons piled on the pressure after half-time, Feni stinging the palms of Marinovic with a cross-shot before half-time substitute Atkin Kaua's slick move on the left culminated in a cross intended for Totori. Durante's timely intervention, at full stretch, prevented the Solomons' captain from converting the delivery, but Totori quickly snaffled the clearance and presented Lea'alafa with the chance to shoot, only for Marinovic to plunge to his left and deny him once more, in the 54th minute. Seconds later, the All Whites' goalkeeper was looking on with some relief as Feni, who had swooped on a stray pass on half-way and stormed downfield, unleashed a twenty yarder which careered mere inches past the far post. Eleven minutes later, Haddis Aengari teamed up with Totori, who had Kaua steaming up inside him on the left. The substitute duly powered past two opponents into the penalty area, only to become the latest victim of Marinovic's shot-stopping masterclass - another splendid denial saw the ball diverted past the far post, much to the frustration of the locals, who were eager to see a Solomons equaliser. Robert Laua cleared off the line following a Dyer corner soon afterwards, but in the 76th minute, the Solomons finally earned the chance to draw level from the penalty spot after Kaua's ball invited subsitute Joses Nawo to burst in between Durante and Sam Brotherton, who sandwiched the striker. Unfortunately for the All Whites defensive duo, they did so inside the penalty area, and the Solomons were awarded their third spot-kick of the tie. Fa'arodo duly sent Marinovic the wrong way to level the scores on the day - 2-2. Momentum was with the Solomons heading into the final ten minutes of the match, and they fancied their chances of scoring a first-ever win over the All Whites. But Marinovic was right behind the efforts of Feni and Totori as they looked to clinch victory with late efforts on goal, and the sound of the final whistle confirmed New Zealand as Oceania's leading nation in World Cup football once more. Solomons:     Mango; Hiromana (booked, 71), Sale, Aengari, Laua; Fa'arodo, Lea'alafa (Nawo, 72), Aumae (booked, 23) (Naka, 66); Donga (Kaua, 46), Totori, Feni All Whites:     Marinovic; Doyle, Durante, Brotherton; Roux, Dyer (Musa, 76), Tzimopoulos, Wynne; Patterson (Rufer, 58), Bevan (booked, 65), Barbarouses Referee:     Abdulraham Al Jassim (Qatar)