Defending champions New Zealand have stormed into the semi-finals of the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2025 in Honiara, thrashing hosts Solomon Islands 8-0 in their most commanding display of the tournament so far.
Martin Bullock’s side secured top spot in Group B with a ruthless 20-minute first-half blitz that produced five unanswered goals, effectively ending the contest before halftime.
New Zealand will now face Group A runners-up Papua New Guinea in Wednesday’s semi-finals, while Fiji, winners of Group A, take on New Caledonia.
The Kiwis were on the front foot from the opening whistle but initially struggled to convert their dominance into goals in front of a passionate home crowd. The deadlock was finally broken in the 25th minute by a spectacular long-range strike from John Woldegiorgis, sparking a relentless onslaught.
Captain Ethan Dyer doubled the advantage with a powerful header from a corner in the 37th minute, before Matias Nunez calmly slotted home a penalty to make it three. Woldegiorgis then added his second, and Cruz Pietersen capped off the half with a looping header to send New Zealand into the break 5-0 ahead.
The second half brought little respite for the hosts. Seven minutes after the restart, Ben Perez Baldoni punished defensive errors to score his fourth goal of the tournament, before Woldegiorgis completed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute. There was still time for Willem Des Tombe to get in on the act, heading home a Woldegiorgis cross.
The Solomon Islands, who needed a win to progress, were limited to half-chances, with Junior Sese’s hitting the post late on after a one on one with keeper Joseph Chalabi who was largely untested in the New Zealand goal.
Henry Fa’arodo’s young side will now regroup for Thursday’s 5th-place playoff against Tahiti, while New Zealand turn their attention to Papua New Guinea and the chance to move one step closer to defending their title.
The top three finishers at the tournament will secure qualification for the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup in Qatar next year.
Solomon Islands 0
New Zealand 8 (John WOLDEGIORGIS 25’ 43’,73, Ethan DYER 37’ Matias NUNEZ 41’, Cruz PIETERSEN 44’ Ben PEREZ BALDONI 52’, Willem DES TOMBE 83’,)
HT: 5-0