The All Whites all but confirmed their place in the final stage of the FIFA World Cup qualifying process at QBE Stadium on September 1, handing out a 6-1 trouncing to the Solomon Islands in the first leg of the Oceania Football Confederation's final play-off fixtures. The second leg takes place at Honiara's Lawson Tama Stadium in four days time, a match which the Solomons would need to win by at least five goals to claim Oceania's berth in November's play-off against the fifth-placed South American contenders. The star turn for the All Whites was captain Chris Wood, who, fresh from scoring at Wembley for new club Burnley, despatched a hat-trick in this encounter, becoming the first All White to snare the match ball since he himself achieved the feat against the very same opponents in June 2012. The Solomons provided plenty of cheek in this match, with the left wing raids of Gagame Feni particularly prominent as they looked to upset the vast majority of the 10,230 fans who took just seventy seconds to launch into the first of many chants of "All Whites, All Whites". It took the natives nine minutes to launch their first attack of note, Ryan Thomas combining with Wood to play in Storm Roux on the right. Wood went for the return ball, but the recalled fullback directed it behind his captain and too far in front of Costa Barbarouses for him to capitalise upon the opportunity. Seven minutes later, a Thomas free-kick to the far post picked out Wood, whose header created pandemonium in the Solomons rearguard. The ball eventually fell for Thomas to execute a volley, but he mis-timed it terribly, affording Philip Mango a routine save. There was no such joy for the Solomons' number one sixty seconds later. Thomas threaded a ball through for Wood which prompted the 'keeper to dash out and clear off the striker's toes. From the resulting throw-in, the All Whites opened the scoring. Thomas latched onto the ball and let fly from distance, only for the ball to strike a defender and ricochet perfectly into the stride of Wood, whose finish past Mango was unerring - 1-0. Six minutes later, the home team squandered a great chance to double their lead. Barbarouses played the ball forward to Wood, and immediately set off on an angled run as the All Whites' captain lofted the ball across to Roux. The fullback steered the ball inside, perfectly into the stride of the fast-arriving figure of Barbarouses, whose first-time drive skimmed the side-netting as Mango looked on helplessly. Fullback and front-runner teamed up again in the 26th minute, Roux and Barbarouses combining for the benefit of Monty Patterson on this occasion. He evaded a challenge before picking out Wood with a hanging cross which the striker headed goalwards, only for Mango to tip the ball over the bar. From Thomas' resulting short corner, the ball was worked round the field to Roux, whose angled cross found five All Whites onside within eight yards of the Solomons goal, and just Mango standing between them and a second goal. Unbelievably, Sam Brotherton and Michael Boxall contrived to butcher what was a golden opportunity, the defensive duo getting in each other's way as their eyes lit up at the prospect of scoring on the far post. The All Whites eased off the throttle a touch after that glaring miss, and after Thomas had had penalty claims denied him - unless it was an absolute stonewall spot-kick, Tahitian referee Norbert Hauata was never going to give the All Whites a free shot on goal in this encounter - the natives delighted the faithful with a second goal nine minutes before half-time. Thomas produced some delightful footwork to evade the challenge of Haddis Aengari before playing the ball forward towards Wood. Nelson Sale was always favourite to get to it first, but his untimely stumble presented the striker with the ball on a plate, and with a yard's start on the covering figure of Emmanuel Poila, a goal was inevitable. But what a beautifully taken goal it was! Bearing down on goal, and with Mango racing off his line towards him, Wood swiftly sized things up and executed the perfect twenty-five yard chip over the 'keeper, the ball bouncing on the line before bulging the corner of the net to the accompaniment of 10,000 roaring voices. Exquisite! After Wood had headed a Thomas corner over the bar, the result was put beyond doubt in the 39th minute by a third All Whites' goal. Thomas dashed down the left before looking to pick out Patterson with a cross. Aengari intervened, but directed his clearance straight to Barbarouses, who fair battered the ball into the top far corner from fifteen yards - 3-0. How the All Whites failed to score again before half-time beggars belief! Thomas was once more denied a penalty, with the Solomons streaming downfield on the resulting counter-attack, to earn a free-kick, which the quick-thinking Atkin Kaua

played into the stride of Jerry Donga. Stefan Marinovic, hitherto a spectator, produced a fine reflex save to keep the visitors scoreless. Cue an All Whites riposte, Michael McGlinchey's sumptuous through ball playing in Barbarouses, who had just Mango to beat. But the 'keeper stood firm, blocking the threat to safety. Back came Anthony Hudson's white-clad hordes, Patterson, Wood and Barbarouses combining to present Wood with a glorious chance to net a fourth goal on the stroke of half-time. But from six yards out, he directed his shot against the bar, to the accompaniment of 10,000 disbelieving groans ringing around QBE Stadium. The Solomons made a half-time change, but before Clifton Aumae could make an impact on proceedings, the All Whites set out their stall, just forty seconds after the half began. Deklan Wynne dashed down the left before picking out Wood with a measured cross to the far post. The hat-trick hunting striker headed the ball back across Mango for what looked a certain goal, until the 'keeper flung himself backwards and across to pull off a magnificent one-handed save and keep his country in the contest. And for a fair few minutes, the Solomons held the upper hand. Pouncing on an error by Barbarouses five minutes into the half, Benjamin Totori tore down the right before delivering a cross which required Boxall's intervention to prevent it from reaching Aumae, lurking behind him. The defender's clearance only went as far as Feni, however, and he didn't need a second invitation to run at the All Whites defence, as that's what he'd been doing whenever the opportunity had presented itself in the first half. On this occasion he tore past three opponents before thrashing a shot into the grateful gloves of Marinovic, who was beaten three minutes later when Solomons captain Henry Fa'arodo fired home a penalty, awarded after Wynne's clumsy challenge brought Totori to earth inside the area. The All Whites struck back straight away, Patterson's through ball - one of the few occasions in the match in which he was effective, rather than self-indulgent - inviting Thomas to thrash home his country's fourth goal of the evening in the 55th minute. Back came the Solomons, Feni again their outlet, this time released by Totori. He cut in from the left once more before thrashing a shot which Marinovic tipped round the far post. The visitors' fire gradually quelled, but the All Whites struggled to get the mix right when it came to converting attacking approaches into goalscoring opportunities, the final ball too often found wanting when another goal seemed likely. Thomas corners were plentiful during this phase of the game, but the Solomons kept the Oceania champions at bay until ten minutes from time, when McGlinchey dipped into the top drawer to produce an exquisite free-kick from the edge of the area, the ball arcing over the wall before dipping under the bar at Mango's near post. 5-1 would have become 5-2 sixty seconds later, had Marinovic not got down well to deny Totori with a parried save, in the aftermath of which a couple of flying studs-up challenges went in in quick succession, one on Wynne, another by McGlinchey. Only the goalscorer's name was taken by referee Hauata, who could very easily have chosen to brandish the red card. But why no action was taken following the initial incident only the official can explain - both challenges were deserving of punishment. Yet another penalty claim by Thomas was turned away five minutes from time - makes one wonder what a team sporting the silver fern has to do to be awarded one in an Oceania fixture - while Wood twice went close to completing his hat-trick in the dying minutes, firstly denied by the legs of Mango after well-performed substitute James Musa split the defence with an angled grass-cutting pass. The second saw fellow substitute Kip Colvey pick out Wood with a cross, but his header landed on the roof of the net, leaving the likelihood of a first All Whites hat-trick on home soil since July 2002 very much in the balance. Thankfully, Wood was afforded one more chance before the final whistle, and he duly celebrated his hat-trick in style, a superbly struck twenty-five yard free-kick arcing over the wall and beating Mango all ends up to wrap up a 6-1 win and, surely, a play-off place against the fifth place-getters in South America, the outcome of Tuesday's second leg encounter in Honiara notwithstanding. All Whites:     Marinovic; Tzimopoulos, Boxall (booked, 3), Brotherton; Roux, Thomas, Barbarouses (Bevan, 74), McGlinchey (booked, 82) (Colvey, 82), Wynne' Patterson (Musa, 64), Wood Solomons:     Mango; Nawo (Hiromana, 87), Poila (Boso, 55), Sale, Aengari, Laua; Donga, Fa'arodo, Kaua (Aumae, 46 (booked, 59)), Feni; Totori Referee:     Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)