New Zealand's Young Ferns trounced Tonga 8-0 in their OFC U-16 Women's Championships semi-final at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva on 18 September to qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals, which will take place in Morocco in thirteen months' time. After their sub-standard showing against the Solomon Islands three days ago, Alana Gunn's charges were swiftly into their stride in this match, the return of Pia Vlok, Charley March and Laura Bennett to the starting line-up seeing a much better display from the reigning champions. The last-mentioned opened the scoring just six minutes into the contest. Heidi Draai and Grace Duncan combined on the right, with the latter's cross the cause of hesitance in the Tongan defence. Bennett stole in unnoticed and headed home from six yards. She nearly doubled her tally two minutes later, volleying narrowly past the post from fifteen yards after Vlok and Duncan had combined to open up the Tongan defence, a feat the latter repeated sixty seconds later on the counter-attack, only to see her drive blocked to safety by the desperate lunge of Losaline Tu'utafaiva. That Duncan was counter-attacking was the result of a raid by Tonga's lone striker, Kuria Malohifo'ou, who didn't think twice about taking on all-comers whenever the opportunity presented itself. On this occasion she outmuscled March before tearing past Byers, her progress eventually thwarted by Harriet Muller's save at her feet. New Zealand doubled their advantage in the twelfth minute. Vlok brought Draai into play, the fullback instantly spotting the run of Katie Pugh in behind the defence and delivering a through ball towards where she was heading. Tongan goalkeeper Temaleti Taufa'ao came out to gather the ball, but promptly spilt it under pressure from the fast-approaching Pugh, who took full advantage and gleefully fired home into an empty net to mark her sixteenth birthday with a goal for her country. She should have had a second goal three minutes later, blazing wide from six yards with just Taufa'ao to beat after being picked out by Bennett's cross from the left. The same combination threatened to undo Tonga again in the seventeenth minute, only this time a super tackle by 'Anau Lopeti stopped Pugh in her tracks. After Taufa'ao cut out Draai's measured through ball intended for Mikaela Bangalan, whose ghosting run through midfield hadn't been spotted by anyone wearing red, the Young Ferns made it 3-0 in the 22nd minute. Bennett fed the run of overlapping fullback Kara McGillivray, whose cross to the far post found Duncan arriving on cue. Taufa'ao blocked her first attempt, but Duncan ruthlessly despatched the rebound into the corner of the net. Tonga responded to this by going desperately close to pulling a goal back in the 24th minute. Cienna Filimoeatu secured possession on the left and shielded the ball from Byers before slipping a round-the-corner pass into the stride of tireless midfielder Tyra Bagiante. Her pace caught March by surprise, but as Bagiante was poised to shoot, Bangalan came hurtling in with a terrific goal-saving block, much to the dismay of the fans, who were eager to see Tonga succeed where New Caledonia, Tahiti and the Solomon Islands had failed in this tournament, by scoring against the reigning champions. Back came the Kiwis, Vlok picking out Duncan charging through the inside right channel. Charging towards her was Taufa'ao, but the flank player swept past her with ease to find herself with an open goal twenty-five yards away and defenders desperately scrambling back to try to prevent the seemingly inevitable. Their efforts were worth it, as Duncan failed to hit the target. On the half-hour, Vlok raced away down the right before pinging in a cross beyond Pugh, but not Bennett, who couldn't direct her volley on target. Unlike Vlok three minutes later, the playmaker making it 4-0 after starting a move in which Pugh and Bennett also featured, the latter drawing a parried save from Taufa'ao. Vlok was following in … Tonga would not lie down - and full credit to them for not doing so. It took the combined efforts of March and Muller to foil Filimoeatu in the 37th minute, after Bagiante had got the better of Natalie Young in midfield and threaded a pass through for the striker to chase. Back came the Young Ferns, Pugh leading the

charge before seeing her shot blocked by Taufa'ao from an acute angle. Veilose Ramsay was the next obstacle Pugh was unable to better as the first half drew towards a conclusion, the fullback blocking her shot after the striker had evaded the clutches of Ann Loti. The final act of the half saw Malohifo'ou threatening again, holding off the challenge of Byers before executing a shot on the turn from fifteen yards. Alas for Tonga, she was unable to keep her shot below crossbar height, but her team was pleased they were still offering a threat to the Young Ferns, despite the scoreline suggesting the semi-final was all over bar the shouting. The Young Ferns hit the ground running in the second spell, Bennett unable to capitalise on a Duncan cross which Taufa'ao only partially punched clear in the 48th minute. Seconds later, Duncan again made in-roads down the right before picking out substitute Piper O'Neill with a cross which the newcomer rifled a foot over the bar from ten yards. Vlok worked a one-two with Duncan soon afterwards, only to be denied by Taufa'ao's save at her feet, but the 'keeper was badly at fault in the 54th minute as the Young Ferns went nap. Bennett and Bangalan combined to send McGillivray down the left, from where her cross completely deceived the goalkeeper as it drifted into the net at her near post. O'Neill was next to threaten, either side of the hour mark, heading wide on receipt of Draai's free-kick, then skying one from ten yards after working a one-two with Bennett, who was sent rampaging down the left by Derelle Avery in the 69th minute. Bennett delivered a low cross which O'Neill missed but Duncan didn't, her fiercely struck drive crashing against the crossbar. Avery latched onto the rebound and invited Duncan to try again, her effort this time being turned round the post by Makelesi Malafu, who had taken over in goal from Taufa'ao a mere sixty seconds earlier. The newcomer's next task was to fish the ball out of her net twenty minutes from time. Duncan's corner picked out March on the far post, from where she directed an effort against the crossbar. Fortunately for the defender, the ball rebounded to her, and she made no mistake at the second attempt - 6-0. After Byers had directed a shot through the gathered throngs straight at Malafu following a Duncan corner, Tonga enjoyed their best spell of the match, with Malohifo'ou the creator of chaos in the Kiwi rearguard. Her enthusiasm and enterprise created an opening for captain Tema Tonga in the 74th minute - a shot which landed on the roof of the net before Malohifo'ou drew the biggest cheers of the day with a swashbuckling run which saw her nutmeg March before overpowering McGillivray along the by-line, from where she unleashed an acute-angled drive which substitute goalkeeper Megan Waayer tipped onto the crossbar and to safety with her first act of the match. Her team-mates ensured there would be no repeats in the time remaining, March's timely shoulder-to-shoulder challenge on Malohifo'ou in the penalty area three minutes from time one which could easily have seen a spot kick awarded had she got it wrong. Prior to that, Malafu denied another attempt to increase New Zealand's winning margin by Duncan. But the goalkeeper was responsible for two stoppage time howlers which saw the final score blow out to 8-0. There appeared to be no threat to Malafu as Avery's tame long-range effort rolled through to her, but she somehow managed to fumble the ball over the line behind her, much to the delight of the scorer - her first goal for New Zealand. Seven became eight with virtually the last attack of the match. Malafu handled the ball just outside her penalty area, a set-piece situation which Duncan wrapped up in majestic fashion, her curling effort arcing over all-comers before flying through the hands of the luckless custodian and in off the far post to wrap up the scoring and spark the qualification celebrations among the Young Ferns, once the final whistle had sounded. Tonga:          Taufa'ao (Malafu, 68); Ramsay (Songomoli, 89), Loti, Ta'ofi (Mailangi, 54), Lopeti; Moala (Mann, 46), Tonga, Tu'utafaiva, Bagiante (Sau, 89), Filimoeatu; Malohifo'ou Young Ferns:      Muller (Waayer, 76); Draai, Byers, March, McGillivray; Vlok (Solomon, 62), Bangalan, Young (Avery, 46); Duncan, Pugh (O'Neill, 46), Bennett Referee:     Jarethy George (Vanuatu)