New Zealand's Junior Ferns scored a far from spectacular 3-1 win over Tonga at Centre Park on February 20 to maintain their advantage at the top of the OFC U-20 Women's Championship standings. Victory in Saturday's group decider with Papua New Guinea will secure the Junior Ferns' passage to Canada 2014, but to realise their objective, they will have to be decidedly more clinical and ruthless in front of goal than was evident in this match. Unlike their opening day clash with Vanuatu, there was a far greater degree of quality, accuracy, zip and purpose in the passing game the Junior Ferns imposed on proceedings from the outset. Their principle problem in this encounter was the absence of a cutting edge to do justice to their plethora of possession, a situation not aided by their Tongan rivals getting numbers behind the ball to frustrate their more fancied opponents - on numerous occasions, all eleven Tongan players were camped within thirty yards of their own goal-line, i.e. "Pass your way through this". All seemed in order early doors, Tayla O'Brien clipping the top of the crossbar with a teasing cross-shot in the third minute, before contributing to a delightful move which opened the scoring four minutes later. The ball zipped around among Issy Coombes, Jasmine Pereira, Daisy Cleverley, O'Brien and Belinda Van Noorden before the last-mentioned played it back into the stride of Cleverley, who jinked her way through four Tongan challenges near the edge of the penalty area before steering the ball beyond Tangimausia Ma'afu and into the far corner of the net. With their team a goal to the good after seven minutes, the Junior Ferns' fans felt able to relax, and understandably sat back awaiting the usual avalanche of goals which generally tend to occur in clashes between New Zealand and Tonga at any level. Not this time, a situation arising partly from Tonga's stout efforts, but largely one of the Junior Ferns' own making. It wasn't as if they didn't have the chances - they did, and plenty of them. But it was the squad's less lethal front-running trio which took to the park in this match … Put quite simply, O'Brien, Pereira and Van Noorden each failed to take the chance to make a strong case for inclusion ahead of Briar Palmer, Martine Puketapu, Emma Rolston and Syracuse-based Steph Skilton in the forward line pecking order when it comes to selection for Canada 2014, should New Zealand qualify for same. This match was their opportunity to do just that. And after Laura Merrin had sent a teasing curling effort narrowly past the far post, Van Noorden was gifted the ball from the resulting goal-kick. She instantly set up Pereira, whose drive rattled the bar and ricocheted to safety after rebounding off the still-diving figure of Ma'afu. Emily Jensen, Meikayla Moore, Van Noorden and Chloe Knott then combined to present O'Brien with an eleventh minute opening. She fired this one over the bar, while Moore's near post header flashed across the face of goal a minute later, on receipt of Merrin's corner. The chances quickly mounted up: Ma'afu saved at O'Brien's feet after Knott and Pereira had worked a slick one-two in the penalty area; Cleverley sent a dipping twenty-five yarder inches over the bar; Ma'afu grabbed a Merrin free-kick at the second attempt just as Pereira was poised to strike; O'Brien stung the gloves of Tonga's custodian after Catherine Bott and Cleverley had combined to good effect. And then it happened. Five minutes after Cleverley's dogged efforts had thwarted Lilian Kaitapu's determined driving run down the left, earning Tonga a rare corner, the island kingdom's fans were in raptures at

having drawn level on the scoreboard - understandably so, given Tonga had only scored once previously in the twelve clashes between the countries at all levels. Not all of Knott's passes to this point had been precise. This one, a 24th minute effort in the general direction of - the most accurate description of it - Cleverley certainly wasn't. The young midfielder was forced to check and attempt to control the sphere in one motion, and it got away on her. Eventually she got the ball back under control, but, under pressure thirty yards out from her own goal, she opted to direct the ball back towards Corina Brown, who was some distance out of her area, and wasn't anticipating Cleverley's actions. Cue the comical - unless it happens to your team - sight of bouncing ball being hotly pursued by mortified goalkeeper until its destination is inevitable. And, as the ball buried itself in the corner of the net, a look of sheer horror merged with despair on the face of young Cleverley, a good young 'un whose all-round performance certainly didn't merit this unwelcome addition to her footballing CV. Extremely rare are the instances of a New Zealand player scoring at both ends in the same international. Understandably, Cleverley looked for all the world as if she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole, seconds after realising she had just made herself a permanent fixture in all future New Zealand footballing trivial pursuit question nights! To her credit, she put this setback behind her quickly, and got on with the task of endeavouring to re-establish the Junior Ferns' superiority on the scoreboard. It was hard going, however, with Tonga having even more reason to fight like lions now they had something tangible to show for their efforts. Wendy Feke blocked a goalbound effort from Pereira on the line in the 27th minute, after O'Brien and Merrin had combined on the left, while Ma'afu pounced before Van Noorden could do so, Moore having picked out the striker with an early ball forward nine minutes later. The Junior Ferns' captain made a mental note of Tonga's uncertainty in dealing with this variation on her team's approach, and two minutes later, applied it again, this time a searing thirty yarder which Ma'afu could only parry. Before she could recover, O'Brien swooped - 2-1 New Zealand, and a sense of relief all-round to boot. The inevitable bombardment of the Tongan goal before the interval duly followed. Ma'afu grabbed O'Brien's volley; Moore thundered a twenty-yarder past the post; Tongan captain Vea Funaki cleared a chance for Knott off her toes after O'Brien had picked out the midfielder; Cleverley and O'Brien sent efforts the wrong side of the woodwork … It was hard going for Aaron McFarland's charges, a situation which continued throughout the second spell, as the Tongans defended like Trojans, none more so than Unaloto Tahitu'a and Tupou Topui, who ran themselves into the ground for the cause. But they couldn't stave off the Junior Ferns all the time. Just twenty-five seconds into the second spell, Knott set up O'Brien for a curling effort which arced narrowly past the far upright. One of many eye-catching driving runs down the right by Bott materialised ninety seconds later, the overlapping fullback inviting Pereira to guide home a third goal with a measured pass. The striker declined, however, instead steering the sphere agonisingly past the far post. Ma'afu was soon keeping out efforts from O'Brien and Van Noorden - her driving run which led to the shot left two Tongans trailing in her wake - while the big striker

sent two further efforts off-target just after the hour mark. The first followed a slick move featuring Knott, Coombes, Cleverley and substitute Megan Robertson, while the second saw Knott and Bott combine to present Van Noorden with a gift from eight yards. Frankly, this should have been taken. Van Noorden chanced her arm from twenty yards twenty minutes from time, only for Ma'afu to plunge to her right and keep out this goalbound effort. Another soon followed, Jensen picking out O'Brien with a super ball in behind the defence which the recipient could only head straight at Tonga's goalkeeper. Rolston's introduction to the fray eighteen minutes from time underlined New Zealand's disappointment that the half-time 2-1 scoreline had yet to be improved upon. Within minutes, the striker was in the thick of the goalmouth action, seeing a headed effort headed off the line by Funaki. Another substitute, Emily Stotter, brought Bott into play once more, twelve minutes from time. Her cross again found Van Noorden in a promising position, but her finish failed to do the opportunity justice. Merrin had curled a free-kick round the wall but straight down the throat of Ma'afu, either side of Rolston going close with a couple of headed efforts. O'Brien then fired a twenty-five yarder past the post, before a looping Van Noorden header was grabbed under pressure by the overworked 'keeper, Stotter, Van Noorden, Rolston and Bott having contributed to the build-up. Seconds into second half stoppage time, the Junior Ferns finally scored the goal that clinched victory. Stotter's cross-shot was headed off the line by Tolini Kofutu'u, prompting a right royal goalmouth scramble in which Jensen and Bott were highly prominent. So was Ma'afu, whose spilling of the ball was punished by Robertson - it took three runs of a replay of the goal, each from different angles, to determine that the substitute had got the final touch which secured the Junior Ferns' hard-earned 3-1 victory over a Tongan team which, though beaten, will rightly look on this result as one of their very best - their efforts to hold out their superior counterparts were colossal. Junior Ferns:     Brown; Bott, Moore (Robertson, 55), Jensen, Merrin; Coombes, Cleverley (Stotter, 65), Knott; Pereira (Rolston, 72), Van Noorden, O'Brien Tonga:          Ma'afu; Leone, Feke; Topui (Kofotu'u, 74), Funaki (booked, 82), Tahitu'a (Ongolea, 74), Tufui; Malekamu, Taholo, Kaitapu (Moala, 90); Tongia Referee:     Robinson Banga (Vanuatu) Papua New Guinea set themselves up for a Matchday Three showdown with the Junior Ferns from 4pm on Saturday by overcoming a plucky Vanuatu combination 4-0 at Centre Park in the early encounter on February 20. An eleven-minute hat-trick from Meagan Gunemba - all three goals were recorded by the sixteenth minute - was the individual highlight of a match in which substitute Georgina Kaikas wrapped up the scoring six minutes before half-time. The second half was punctuated by a couple of lengthy injury stoppages, one of which saw Vanuatu captain Junane Ishmael being stretchered off by the St John Ambulance team, who wasted little time in putting the midfielder's leg in a splint once they had assessed matters. Vanuatu take on Tonga at 1pm on Saturday in what should be a keenly contested tussle for third place. Both were delighted with their efforts in their respective Matchday Two fixtures, and will be keen to end the tournament on a winning note, prior to the final contender for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals being confirmed.