OlyWhites v Fiji, 090923

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OlyWhites Paris-Bound After Battering Fiji

by Jeremy Ruane

The OlyWhites are heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Men's Football Tournament after battering Fiji 9-0 in front of 1,284 fans at North Harbour Stadium in the OFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament Final on 9 September.

Darren Bazeley's charges couldn't have got off to a better start, earning a penalty in the second minute after Mohammed Raheem's clumsy foul brought Luis Toomey down just inside the area.

Riley Bidois did the business from the penalty spot, and doubled the OlyWhites' lead in the sixth minute with a delicious glancing header from Jesse Randall's angled cross which completely wrong-footed Fijian goalkeeper Aydin Mustahib, whose scrambling efforts to prevent the ball from crossing the line were in vain.

Those goals set the tone for the contest, and effectively meant New Zealand could do as they pleased, with their passage to Paris all but booked already. And after Randall curled one over the top after Raheem twice attempted to bring him down, the OlyWhites extended their lead in the nineteenth minute, Bidois completing his hat-trick when sliding home a Randall cross after he had been released down the left by Aaryan Raj's raking pass.

Fiji offered a rare threat on goal in the 23rd minute, captain Etonia Dogalau latching onto Aporosa Yada's ball in between defenders before lifting his attempted lob of Alex Paulsen well past the far post.

What they offered more of, however, was foul play, and crude challenges aplenty at that. Both Dogalau and Thomas Dunn earned the wrath of Tahitian referee "No Nonsense" Norbert Hauata, who issued his fourth yellow card of the game in the 32nd minute after Randall was felled in the area.

Alas for Fiji, 'twas Raheem who was the recipient of the card, and it was promptly followed by a red one - his night was done. And so, after Randall slotted home from twelve yards, were Fiji - 4-0, game over, with twelve minutes to play till half-time.

Randall nearly doubled his tally two minutes after opening his account. Picked out by Lukas Kelly-Heald, he worked a one-two with Luis Toomey before evading a challenge in the goal area, only to chip the ball into the grateful gloves of Mustahib.

Five minutes later, Bidois scampered through from halfway into the area before setting up Liam Gillion. Mustahib smothered his effort, but a poor clearance presented Gillion with a second chance. He returned the favour to Bidois, who fired past the post with the offside flag raised.

It was a rare miss by the striker, who bagged his fourth of the game with the last touch of the half, hammering home after Kelly-Heald had nodded down a Gillion cross after Nabil Begg and Inoke Turagalailai had cleared shots off the line following a Willem Ebbinge corner.

There was no let-up for Fiji in the second half. Bidois just failed to connect with a bicycle kick after Randall created more mayhem on the left, with Gillion unable to capitalise in the immediate aftermath.

The Auckland City man made no mistake in the 53rd minute, however, picking out the top corner with a superb free-kick from the edge of the penalty area after referee Hauata mistakenly deemed Turagalailai handled a Gillion shot outside the

eighteen yard box - he was just inside it when he raised his arms in reflex fashion to foil the goalbound drive.

Turagalailai enjoyed better fate two minutes later, blocking a Bidois effort as the striker sought to join Shane Smeltz, Logan Rogerson and Myer Bevan in scoring five goals in a single OlyWhites fixture.

The threats on Fiji's goal continued to materialise, with Randall weaving past two opponents in the area on the hour mark before inviting Ebbinge to let fly. Fijian substitute Semi Nabenu blocked his attempt, but the ball broke kindly for Zac Zoricich, who sent a shot sizzling past Mustahib's left-hand post.

It was 7-0 in the 63rd minute, a milestone moment for Bidois as he headed home Ebbinge's corner. It marked a great day for the Bidois family, too, as earlier in the day, brother Jonty scored four goals in spearheading Tauranga City's title-winning feats in the Lotto Northern League Championship competition.

Only a fine reflex save by Mustahib prevented OlyWhites substitute Oskar Van Hattum from finding the far corner of the net in the 71st minute after he had scythed inside off the right, but seven minutes later, Fiji contributed to the scoreboard in unfortunate fashion.

Fiji's ten men were finding it hard going trying to handle Randall, and he got in behind their right flank once more twelve minutes from time before delivering a cross which took Mustahib out of the equation. Nabenu was on hand to clear the danger, but only succeeded in driving the ball into the thigh of Turagalailai, off whom it ricocheted into the net - 8-0, courtesy an "oggie".

Make that 9-0 four minutes later, Mustahib left rooted to the spot as substitute Keegan Kelly's instinctive finish redirected a Randall shot after Joseph Lee had bamboozled Nabenu on the right.

Randall sent one sizzling past the far post with Matthew Sheridan arriving too late to turn it home soon after, while Ebbinge slammed a thirty yard free-kick against the stanchion three minutes from time.

But nine goals was the OlyWhites' lot - their biggest win over Fiji at this age-level, and just two goals shy of New Zealand's record scoreline in U-23 international football, recorded against American Samoa in 2004.

In winning the Oceania tournament, they've become the tenth nation to qualify for Paris, joining hosts France, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Israel, Mali, Morocco, Spain, Ukraine and the USA.

Three Asian representatives and two from South America have yet to be determined, with the last spot set to be filled by either Guinea or the fourth-placed Asian team - those nations play off in France for the final Olympics berth.

OlyWhites: Paulsen; Zoricich (Sheridan, 82), Surman, Raj, Kelly-Heald (Lobo, 64); Ebbinge, Strong, Toomey (Lee, 72); Gillion (Van Hattum, 64), Bidois (Kelly, 72), Randall

Fiji: Mustahib; Raheem (booked, 15, 32 - sent off), Vasconcellos (booked, 90), Turagalailai (booked, 90), Muzakkir-Nabeel; Begg (Nabenu, 46), McMullen, Atiq (Ratu, 58), Yada (Sela, 72); Dogalau (booked, 24) (Valevou, 58 (Razool, 65)), Dunn (booked, 30)

Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

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