New Zealand have defeated the Cook Islands 8-0 at Stade Paea in Tahiti to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026™ in Poland, and the final of the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship 2025.
The Junior Football Ferns scored three goals in the first half, and a further five in the second, with Emily Lyon contributing a hat-trick to set up a final with New Caledonia on Saturday.
It means New Zealand have qualified for their tenth consecutive FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™, and are now one win away from claiming their ninth consecutive OFC U-19 Women’s Championship title.
New Zealand had scored 22 goals without reply during the group stages, and undoubtedly started as huge favorites, despite a slow start.
The Cook Islands were organised early on, and did well to keep chances to a premium with some disciplined defending inside their own third.
It took 33 minutes for New Zealand to open the scoring as such, the longest they’ve had to wait for a goal at the tournament in Tahiti so far.
Zoe Benson was the one to break the Cook Islands early defensive resolve, powering the ball into the top of the net with a thunderbolt from long-range on her right foot.
That opened the floodgates for New Zealand, and Emily Lyon added a second three minutes later, and a third in the 41st minute.
Both came from crosses into the Cook Islands penalty area, the first from Isla Cleall-Harding, and the second from Penny Brill.
Lyon completed her hat-trick at the start of the second half, latching onto a pass from Grace Bartlett, and rounding Uini for New Zealand’s fourth goal in the 55th minute.
New Zealand had beaten the Cook Islands 5-0 at the same semi-final stage in 2023, and this was a similarly dominant performance.
Their fifth goal on this occasion came in the 67th minute, Isla Cleall-Harding finishing at the back post after a ball into the box off the left.
Lily Brazendale continued her record of scoring a goal in every one of New Zealand’s matches at the tournament so far too, coming off the bench to add a sixth in the 76th minute, following a cross into the middle from Poppy O’Brien.
O’Brien scored New Zealand’s seventh in the 86th minute, before Brazendale scored her second in the 89th with a shot that crept through the fingers of Uini.
Both now assured of their place at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026 ™ in Poland, New Zealand will meet New Caledonia in the final at Stade Paea on Saturday afternoon, whilst the Cook Islands will meet Fiji in the third-place play-off earlier on the same day.
New Zealand: 8 (Zoe BENSON 33’, Emily LYON 36’, 41’ 55’, Isla CLEALL-HARDING 67’, Lily BRAZENDALE 76’, 89′, Poppy O’Brien 86’)
Cook Islands: 0
HT: 3-0
Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek