Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Mexico, Russia, Switzerland, USA - the ten nations to have so far confirmed their places at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in Russia later this year. How sweet it is to add New Zealand to that esteemed list, which will be supplemented by three Asian and two African confederation nations before the tournament commences on August 17. John Herdman's charges clinched their spot alongside some of the world's elite soccer-playing nations thanks to a 6-0 victory over Tonga at the Toleafoa J.S. Blatter Football Complex in Tuanaimato, Apia on April 8, and supplemented their triumph with the added bonus of the Fair Play Award. The Kiwis set about their quest to become the first New Zealand representative football team to reach a FIFA Finals tournament since the All Whites contested the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup Finals - there have been some notable and spectacular failures in between times - with a neat second minute move featuring Emma Humphries, Ria Percival and Sarah Gregorius, which culminated in Kirsty Yallop sending a twenty-yarder flashing past the upright. Two fine saves from the tournament's most outstanding goalkeeper by some distance, Tonga's Siaila Laakulu, denied Ali Riley and Annalie Longo in a thirty-second spell around the seven minute mark, but within sixty seconds, New Zealand were on their way to realising their dreams. The team's youngest players, fourteen-year-old Longo and fifteen-year-old Caitlin Campbell, combined to prise open the offside trap, the former providing the pass which allowed the latter to bury the ball in the bottom corner of the net. The duo linked again three minutes later, Campbell going on a little dribble before slipping Humphries through the Tongan back-line. The striker went crashing to earth after being unashamedly chopped down inside the penalty area by Karen Utaatu, but to the amazement of all present, referee Salaiau Sosongan awarded a free-kick outside the penalty area. The official was to stun the Kiwis again six minutes later, employing the rarely-used six second ruling to penalise goalkeeper Aroon Clansey as she cleared her lines. Tonga failed to capitalise on this chance, much like New Zealand had done with the free-kick opportunity, as well as a subsequent Gregorius-inspired opening which saw Campbell rattle the sidenetting. After Yallop had sent a twenty-five yarder over the bar, and a Gregorius cross-shot had been grabbed under her crossbar by the adroit figure of Laakulu, Humphries squandered a glorious opportunity to double New Zealand's lead, blazing over in the 24th minute on receipt of Yallop's flick. Longo then headed a Percival cross over the bar before the Kiwi captain looked on in disbelief as Laakulu made another stunning save to thwart her quest to claim the tournament's unofficial Golden Boot award outright, the fact Yallop's effort took a deflection en route making it an even more noteworthy stop. But the 'keeper couldn't deny the New Zealanders in the 29th minute, when she was badly let down by her defence. To a woman, they collectively allowed a Gregorius through ball to run its anticipated course, and go out for a goal-kick. Humphries had other ideas, however, and gained due reward for her chase of a lost cause by getting to the ball a split-second before it crossed the by-line and whipping in a hard, low cross into the goalmouth. Ali Riley, who had anticipated Humphries' achieving the unlikely, was on hand to maintain her goal-a-game average with a thunderous finish into the roof of the net from twelve yards. At 2-0, New Zealand were a lot more comfortable, although Tonga were giving them a few causes for concern - the underdogs deserve much credit for making a game of the contest, in stark contrast to their defensive-minded display when facing the tournament favourites in a group match just five days earlier. But with Hannah Rishworth and Hannah Bromley mopping up the few openings which weren't snuffed out by the outstanding Katie Hoyle, the Kiwis were given little cause for concern, and could instead concentrate on doing their level best to improve their goal return from the match. Laakulu, however, was intent on keeping their tally down to the bare minimum. In the 32nd minute, Campbell, Hoyle and Percival combined to present Gregorius with a chance, but the Tongan goalkeeper thwarted the striker. Yallop pounced on the rebound, and sent it careering over the bar. The custodian denied Gregorius again seconds later - the striker showing lovely technique to engineer the shooting opportunity - then thwarted Longo as she looked to turn home a cross from the impish Percival, New Zealand's player of the tournament, and an early favourite for the International Women's Young Player of the Year award. Gregorius and Humphries both went close before New Zealand struck twice in the final five minutes of the half to effectively book their place alongside some of the game's elite in Russia. In the fortieth minute, Riley cut in from the left and played the ball inside to Longo, whose shot was blocked. The rebound fell perfectly for Humphries - thump! Swish! Yes!! After Yallop had jinked between two players and seen her blocked cross fall to Percival, whose drive was blocked by Marion Tuipulotu, the Kiwis went 4-0 up a minute before the interval, courtesy Longo. Again, Humphries was the creator, her powerful run taking her past a defender and along the by-line before she set up her young team-mate for a tap-in finish. It was the scorer's last act of the match, as she was replaced at half-time by Abby Erceg, who was immediately involved in the action, threading a 48th minute pass across to Percival. Her twenty-five yarder was destined for the top far corner, until Laakulu nonchalantly plucked the ball out of the air as if it was a plum hanging on a tree. Three minutes later, Yallop slipped the ball in behind the defence for Riley to latch onto, her low cross finding Gregorius lurking on the far post. How she contrived to hit the bar from three yards only the striker will know - in a sense, it summed up her tournament in front of goal. The rebound fell to Yallop, whose shot was blocked

Emma Humphries about to rattle the crossbar Kirsty Yallop gets in a header Helen Collins thunders home goal number five Ria Percival weaving her magic once more Hannah Rishworth and a posse of Tongans Ali Riley thwarted by Tonga's goalkeeper      Annalie Longo and Kirsty Yallop The champions celebrate!!

and cleared to Erceg. From fifteen yards, she smashed a shot against the base of the left-hand upright - unbelievably, the score remained 4-0. Laakulu then denied Erceg in a one-on-one situation, while Yallop, who had provided the pass for that opportunity, then went for goal herself in the 55th minute, on receipt of a Hoyle through ball. Again, the far post intervened, with the rebound cannoning back past the incoming figure of Gregorius. Still New Zealand pressed, and again, they were afforded no favours by referee Sosongan, who completely ignored an even more blatant upending of Humphries in the penalty area, this time by Pesalini Lave. Yallop picked up the pieces and attempted to put them away, only to rattle the crossbar with her effort. Erceg then went close on two occasions, warming the gloves of Laakulu following another move featuring the Hoyle-Yallop double-act at its heart, before heading across the face of goal after Yallop and Riley had combined on the left flank. Bromley temporarily joined the attack in the 68th minute, her hanging cross completely deceiving Laakulu. Yallop came ghosting in behind and hit a blistering volley which could easily have burst the net, had its trajectory been a foot lower. Instead, the captain had to make do with another near miss, and did so again twenty minutes from time. This time, Percival's cross to the near post saw Laakulu thwart Gregorius' replacement, Helen Collins. The ball was cleared to Yallop, who smashed a thumping volley into the recovering figure of Tonga's goalkeeper from eight yards out. After Riley had fired a shot on the turn past the post, Laakulu denied Erceg with a splendid save low to her right as the half-time substitute surged through with just the goalkeeper to beat. Laakulu's clearance caught the tiring Kiwi team on the hop, and Clansey raced off her line to thwart the charging figure of Penateti Feke just outside the area, as Tonga's captain sought the goal her team coveted thirteen minutes from time. New Zealand also desired more goals, and in the 81st minute, were rewarded for their persistence with a thumping strike. A poor goal kick was pounced on by Yallop, who headed the ball through to Collins. She turned and battered the ball into the roof of the net from eighteen yards - 5-0. After Yallop had again been denied by Laakulu, the Kiwis wrapped up the scoring, the tournament and their tickets to Russia with an injury-time strike to secure a 6-0 win. It was solely down to the substitutes, with Collins and Erceg playing a one-two on the right, although the latter's return pass left a lot to be desired. Collins made a silk purse out of a sow's ear, however, and fashioned a cross from a near-impossible position which zoomed across the face of goal. Racing in on the far post was the Kiwis' other replacement, Emma Harrison, who tucked home her second goal of the tournament with virtually its last kick to kick off celebrations which, as far as New Zealand women's soccer is concerned, have been on hold for fifteen years. In 1991, the country qualified for the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup Finals as the champions of Oceania. A generation of players have found the nemesis that has been Australia blocking a repeat of that glory in the ensuing years, but now that the old enemy have switched confederations, a new breed of Kiwi stars have taken the chance to put New Zealand's name back on women's soccer's world stage once more. "It's a dream come true for everyone involved", said elated coach John Herdman afterwards. "For a New Zealand team to be in a World Cup Finals - WOW!! "They're hopefully pioneering the future for women's football in this country, and giving younger players something to aspire to in the years to come. The volcano has just erupted!" Herdman was quick to pay tribute to the management team's role in New Zealand's success. "We've tried to create a professional environment, so no banana skins would be encountered. The management team have been outstanding - they've coped with everything. When we get it right, it shows what we can achieve". Of the tournament, Herdman said that while he'd prefer to play the Australians, the Brazilians and the Germans week in, week out, "our objective was simply to get through, and we've done what we wanted. Players-wise, Ria Percival has been outstanding - she's found herself on this tour. It's been a case of nurturing her, and she's grown in the environment". Vice-captain Katie Hoyle couldn't put her delight into words, but her face spoke thousands. "I'm proud to be a Kiwi!" she exclaimed on a day when she, and many of her team-mates, were winning the first honour of their fledgling football careers. By comparison, captain Kirsty Yallop is an old hand when it comes to savouring the silverware. But even she was overwhelmed by the moment. "It's unbelievable, awesome. It's so exciting - I can't wait to get to Russia! "It's been a good team effort. We learnt a lot as a team, especially playing against the different styles of our opponents, and we'll hope to take something from this experience to Russia". There is plenty of work in store for the girls before they head to the Eastern European nation, where they will face plenty of challenging opponents - three, certainly, whom they will discover when the draw is made in Moscow on April 22. But the fact that the Kiwis will be involved for the first time in fifteen years on women's soccer's ultimate stage, the finals of a FIFA tournament, makes this an achievement which will leave the country's women's soccer fans smiling broadly tonight. It's been a long time between drinks, but New Zealand are, at long last, the newly-crowned queens of Oceania women's soccer once more. New Zealand:  Clansey; Percival, Bromley, Rishworth, Riley; Hoyle, Yallop, Longo (Erceg, 46); Gregorius (Collins, 64), Humphries, Campbell (Harrison, 58) Tonga:  Laakulu; Utaatu, Malua, Lave, Kalavi; Tuipulotu (Aleamotua, 86), Vaenuku, Folaumoetao, Lolohea, Manumua (Falesiva, 64); Feke Referee:  Salaiau Sosongan