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Junior All Whites v. New Caledonia, 25/4/11
New Zealand Hit Ten To Make Scintillating Statement
by Jeremy Ruane
New Zealand’s Youth All Whites made a scintillating statement of intent at a rain-soaked Centre Park on Anzac Day, scoring eight goals in 26 minutes en route to crushing New Caledonia 10-0 at the OFC U-20 Championship.
The result confirmed the Group B-winning Kiwis would play Fiji, runners-up in Group A, in Wednesday’s semi-final at 2.45pm, with Group A winners Vanuatu taking on the Solomon Islands in the midday semi-final on the same day.
Eight of New Zealand’s goals came from set-pieces, with the New Caledonians having no answers to the oft-repeated combination of pinpoint delivery and precise movement which left no-one in any doubt about the host nation’s intentions - becoming the last team to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Finals in Columbia.
After surviving a couple of close calls in the opening seven minutes, New Caledonia, who needed to score an upset victory to maintain their own semi-final hopes, found themselves behind the eight-ball in the twelfth minute of play.
Cory Chettleburgh’s cross from the right was flicked back by Dakota Lucas into the stride of Marco Rojas, who emphatically swept home the opening goal from the edge of the penalty area to put New Zealand on the way to victory.
Two minutes later, Ant Hobbs’ long throw-in was flicked on by James Musa. New Caledonian goalkeeper William Devic couldn’t hold onto the ball, and Lucas, lurking behind him, promptly stepped in and back-heeled the sphere into the net from point-blank range.
The New Caledonians were too shell-shocked to even appeal for offside - they may have had a case, given the position Lucas came from - but it wouldn’t have mattered, for they fell further behind in the seventeenth minute.
Chettleburgh, Lucas and the two changes New Zealand coach Chris Milicich made to his rejigged starting line-up, Adam Thomas and Ethan Galbraith, all played a part in prising open the New Caledonian defence to such an extent that Rojas had time to make a cup of tea before neatly curling home a twelve-yarder into the top far corner for 3-0.
There was a temporary aberration in the twentieth minute, when Lucas, who was played through by Rojas, rounded Devic only to see his shot cleared off the line by the retreating figure of Andre Wahnawe, but from Andrew Milne’s resulting corner to the near post, James Musa soared above all-
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comers.
Devic’s despairing attempts to keep the ball out were for nought on this occasion, and when the same player swooped at the near post ninety seconds later - this time to meet a Rojas corner - the forlorn ‘keeper was nowhere in sight. 5-0, after 22 minutes!
The New Caledonians were afforded a brief respite over the next few minutes, surviving threats from Rojas’ twenty-five yard free-kick and Chettleburgh - Ijahma Wahmetrua stepped in to deny him after he had worked a one-two with Galbraith.
On the half-hour, New Zealand captain Nick Branch decided he’d had enough of this lack of goalscoring activity, and decided to do something about it personally. A seven-minute hat-trick was the outcome of his intervention, his first two efforts seeing him head home from Milne set-piece deliveries, a far post corner followed by a free-kick.
Branch capped off his treble in the 38th minute, Musa and Thomas both ducking under Rojas’ near post corner to allow their captain to apply the coup de grace from two yards as he nipped in behind them.
8-0, and there could have been even more goals before the interval. Thomas displayed poor technique in volleying over upon receipt of a Rojas cross - knee over the ball, lad, no leaning back - while Lucas poked a shot wide of the near post after Milne and Rojas had carved the bewildered New Caledonians apart once more down the left.
Other than to ask for a show of pride, there wasn’t a great deal New Caledonian coach Stephane Drahusak could have said to his shell-shocked under-strength charges at half-time, the latter attribute arising from two players having been sent off in their opening Group B encounter.
But to their credit, they restricted their rampant opponents to just two goals in the second spell, while threatening a couple of their own as New Zealand visibly eased off the pressure, the job effectively done in 26 devastating first half minutes.
Devic became more prominent in this spell, blocking at point-blank range from half-time substitute Ryan Cain in the 49th minute after Musa had sent Milne down the left to allow the overlapping fullback to whip in a first-time cross which zoomed across the bows of the incoming Galbraith, who ended up in the back of the net instead.
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Six minutes later, Devic superbly tipped over a Thomas header from a Rojas corner, but it was only delaying the inevitable. From Rojas’ resulting corner, Musa stole in at the near post once more to head home his hat-trick goal.
Just shy of the hour mark, Cain was again thwarted by Devic, the ‘keeper tipping the striker’s fierce drive onto the crossbar and to safety. Three minutes later, Thomas was all but cut in half in the penalty area as he ran through on goal.
Incredibly, referee Norbert Hauata waved play on on this occasion, but when Thomas was felled by Medhi Mapou in the eighteen yard box in the 65th minute, the official couldn’t do anything but award a penalty, which Thomas himself converted to bring about the 10-0 scoreline.
Devic and Wahnawe combined to thwart Galbraith twenty minutes from time, after more work by Rojas, whose 78th minute corner was headed wide of the near post by Musa on this occasion.
The New Caledonians were giving a bit of cheek in the later stages of the game, and after Ant Hobbs saw his shot blocked ten minutes from time - Milne’s enterprise deserved better reward, the well-beaten team were denied a goal by Musa seven minutes from time, his well-timed tackle thwarting substitute Francois Issamatro as he surged into the penalty area.
That prompted the Youth All Whites to finish with a flourish, but they were thwarted in their attempts to increase their winning margin by Devic, who twice tipped the ball over the bar in stoppage time, much to the frustration of Cain and Rojas.
But a 10-0 win was some statement for New Zealand to make to their Oceania rivals, and it’s one which leaves the Kiwis just two wins away from joining the likes of England, Spain, France, Australia, Argentina and Brazil at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Finals in Columbia during July and August.
Fiji, the Solomon Islands and the accomplished Vanuatu team may well have something to say about that on Wednesday and Friday of this week.
New Zealand: Marinovic; Hobbs, Branch, Musa, Milne; Chettleburgh (Cain, 46), Thomas, Sole (Doris, 67), Rojas; Lucas (Bevin, 53), Galbraith
N. Caledonia: Devic; Wahmetrua, Wahiawa (Pearou, 46), Mapou, P. Qaeze; Kenon, Xalite, Zeoula (booked, 60), Milie (R. Qaeze, 87); Demene (Issamatro, 72), Takamatsu
Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)
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