New Caledonia took the lead after 17 minutes in the first match when midfielder Stephane Tein-Padom was deemed to have been brought down in the box. Jordy Xalite stepped up to the spot to convert the penalty and see New Zealand concede their first goal of the tournament.
The Caledonians extended their lead eight minutes later after hard-working captain Jean-Brice Wadriako headed home a Cedric Decoire cross. However, just two minutes later the action was down at the other end of the park, with goalkeeper Emmanuel Hnasson catching striker Louis Fenton to gift a penalty to the Junior All Whites which Fenton calmly slotted into the corner to put his side back into the game.
The quick-flowing contest continued into the second half with New Zealand earning an equaliser through Van Elia who pounced on the loose ball after Hnasson spilled an initial shot from Luke Adams on 51 minutes. Five minutes later and New Zealand were in front for the first time when Rory Turner lofted the ball into the net from an acute angle after a Fenton effort struck the post and rebounded out to him.
New Zealand were forced to throw everything into defending their advantage as New Caledonia looked for an equaliser that never came, while the Kiwis launched several dangerous counter-attacks of their own.
“We didn’t give up and luckily it cooled off enough for us to start playing a New Zealand style of football in which we were able to put a lot more pressure on and goals started to come,” New Zealand coach Chris Milicich said.
“We said at half-time that they just had to relax, start stepping into challenges, win the ball higher up the pitch and start hurting New Caledonia where they didn’t want the ball to be played. It was a good performance to come from 2-0 down.”
New Zealand are currently sitting top of the table with nine points from three matches, but they will encounter a well-rested Fiji side who will want to do their home supporters proud on Wednesday.
New Caledonia coach Mathieu Delcroix was disappointed not to have been able to keep the two-goal lead.
“The bottom line is that this is a competition and we weren’t able to do the job today. We had a really good match and I’m very proud of the boys. We failed at the end, but I’m very proud,” he said.
New Caledonia’s next opponent will be a down-and-out Papua New Guinea side who were punished by Vanuatu during today’s second match.
Despite taking a very early lead when Patrick Aisa controlled a bouncing pass to volley past Vanuatu goalkeeper Seloni Iaruel in the opening minute, Papua New Guinea couldn’t maintain their dominance and were made to pay by a side hungry for its first win of the tournament.
Vanuatu captain Jean Kaltack looked like he would open the scoring for his side, but eventually the ball fell to Dalong Damalip whose shot struck the inside of the far post before nestling into the net in the 25th minute. Damalip gave his side the lead 20 minutes later when he dribbled around Papua New Guinea goalkeeper Charles Lepani to roll the ball into an empty goal.
Vanuatu got their third two minutes after the break when Kevin Shem sent a shot flying over Lepani’s head before Damalip was able to complete his hat-trick with a stunning strike lashed into the top corner from the edge of the box on 58 minutes. Jackson Tasso got on the scoreboard in the 64th minute through a penalty, before Lepani was again chipped, this time by substitute Phillipe Tabilip, for Vanuatu’s sixth goal two minutes before the end.
Vanuatu coach Moise Poida was pleased with the win, but said it had come too late in the tournament to make a real difference for his team who will have a rest for the next three days ahead of their final match against New Caledonia on Friday.
“It would have been better for us to play like this in the beginning of the tournament. Having lost the first two games, we had to win today and it was pleasing to see one of my players score a hat-trick, he now has four goals in the tournament,” Poida says.
Papua New Guinea coach Wesley Waiwai said it is never pleasant to concede such a high number of goals, but added the side will have to try and find some positives from the heavy defeat.
“Any coach with that score-line wouldn’t be happy. The boys did their best but there are obviously a lot of things that we need to start fixing. We will get back to work again tomorrow on the training ground and see what we can do,” Waiwai said.
“We need to earn some consolation points because it’s important that we take something from the tournament. But it’s good for us to play at this level because it’s a good experience for the players and gives them plenty of things to learn from.”
The OFC U-20 Championship returns on Wednesday when New Caledonia take on Papua New Guinea at 1.30pm before New Zealand encounter hosts Fiji in the game of the tournament at 4pm while Vanuatu have the bye. Please note these kick-off times differ from those originally scheduled.
Match Summary New Zealand – New Caledonia click here
Match Summary Vanuatu – Papua New Guinea click here
Competition Summary click here
Disciplinary Summary click here

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