All Whites ease past Solomon Islands into Oceania Nations Cup semifinals
Tuesday, 18 June 2024
The All Whites beat the Solomon Islands 3-0 at the Oceania Nations Cup in Vanuatu on Tuesday.
The win puts them into the semifinals, alongside Vanuatu from group A.
Ben Waine scored twice in the opening 11 minutes, with captain Kosta Barbarouses getting the other goal just before halftime.
At VFF Freshwater Stadium, Port Vila: All Whites 3 (Ben Waine 6’ 11’, Kosta Barbarouses 45’+4) Solomon Islands 0. HT: 3-0
The All Whites have eased past the Solomon Islands with a 3-0 win to advance to the semifinals at the Oceania Nations Cup.
Ben Waine scored twice in the opening 11 minutes on Tuesday at VFF Freshwater Stadium in Port Vila, Vanuatu, but was unable to complete his hat-trick before being replaced in the 63rd minute.
All Whites captain Kosta Barbarouses later made it 3-0 at halftime and that was where the scoreline remained come the final whistle.
New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley handed debuts to goalkeeper Alex Paulsen – bound for English Premier League club Bournemouth at the end of the tournament – and left back Sam Sutton – who got the nod over Lukas Kelly-Heald with Liberato Cacace serving a one-match suspension.
The pitch at Freshwater Stadium appeared to be of far higher quality than those often encountered in the Pacific Islands and Waine’s early goals eased any nerves of a boilover.
His first came in the sixth minute, when Eli Just lofted the ball over the Solomon Islands’ defence and Waine chested it down, before firing past goalkeeper Philip Mango from the right of goal.
The second came five minutes later, when Alex Rufer released Tim Payne in behind down the right, with Waine on hand to direct his cross into the goal.
The 23-year-old missed a golden chance to become the first All White in seven years to score a hat-trick, when Mango recovered after slipping to deny him as he tried to head home a Just cross from the left.
Barbarouses extended New Zealand’s lead just before halftime, when he pounced after Mango kept out a header from Surman at a Just corner and sent his shot in off a defender.
Forward Jesse Randall became the third All Whites debutant of the afternoon when he replaced Ben Old in the 63rd minute, with Max Mata coming on for Waine up front.
Kelly-Heald and forward Oskar van Hattum became the next two, with midfielder Fin Conchie joining them late on.
There was a distinct lack of goalmouth action in the second half, but with three goals already in the bag, in hot and humid conditions they appeared to struggle with as the match stretched on, the All Whites would have been content seeing the match out.
Raphael Lea’i, the Solomon Islands’ most dangerous player, gave their fans something to cheer about late, when he found room to attack down the right, but his attempt only found the right post of Paulsen’s goal.
The big picture
With group A at the Nations Cup reduced to three teams following New Caledonia’s withdrawal from the tournament earlier this month, the All Whites’ win combined with the Solomon Islands’ loss to Vanuatu in their first match means it’s New Zealand the co-hosts who advance to the semifinals.
The lack of attacking threat for the All Whites in the second half was a concern. When they were already three goals to the good in testing conditions, it’s hard to be too critical, but Vanuatu should provide them a sterner test in front of a home crowd.
What’s next
The All Whites and Vanuatu meet at the same venue on Friday (kickoff 4pm NZ time) with top spot in group A up for the grabs. The winner will play their semifinal next Thursday at 11am local time (12pm NZ time) while the loser will play theirs at 3pm local time (4pm NZ time). If it’s a draw, the All Whites’ superior goal difference (+3 to +1) will put them through in first place.