The All Whites will discover their semifinal opponent on Friday morning. Photo / Photosport
The All Whites will discover their semifinal opponent on Friday morning. Photo / Photosport
Only six teams remain in the Oceania 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying tournament.
While New Zealand have already booked their place in the semifinals, the Herald understands that the Cook Islands have joined Vanuatu in withdrawing from the event.
Vanuatu pulled the pin on their involvement last Saturday, after thevast majority of their playing squad contracted Covid, which caused the cancellation of their first scheduled fixture with Tahiti.
The Cook Islands lost their opening game against the Solomon Islands 2-0 on Saturday, before their second match with Tahiti (scheduled for Tuesday) was called off on Sunday after positive cases throughout their camp.
It's believed that the Cook Islands federation considered plans to fly extra players to the Middle East, but it was logistically too difficult, given the short timeframes of this tournament.
The All Whites will discover their semifinal opponent on Friday, after the clash between Tahiti and the Solomon Islands.
Given the upheaval in group A, with four matches unable to be played and Tahiti yet to take the field, it is understood that the Oceania Football Confederation is considering recognising their match as a de facto playoff to decide the group winner, rather than the complex process of trying to award points for abandoned games.
Barring a couple of bizarre results on Friday, the All Whites (on six points with a positive goal differential of five) will qualify for the last four as group B winners and will face the second placed team in group A on Monday (6:30am).
Seven squad members, including the cohort of A-League players, are on their way back to their clubs but the full quota of reinforcements from around Europe have arrived, including Italian-based defender Libby Cacace, Brondby midfielder Joe Bell and St Mirren striker Alex Greive.
Liberato Cacace is among several players joining the All Whites squad. Photo / Photosport
It's likely most of the new arrivals will get game time on Friday against New Caledonia (6am), even if off the bench, as New Zealand aims to peak for the semifinal.
"I'd like to give them some minutes and just get used to the conditions here," said coach Danny Hay. "They are coming from different parts of the world, some of them from pretty cool climates. [And] just to start to connect with the players and remember some of those key relationships, without obviously taking too much out of their legs. So it's just going to be a real balancing act."
New Caledonia were the third ranked OFC team ahead of this tournament (153) only behind New Zealand (111) and the Solomon Islands (142).
But they have endured an unhappy time in Doha, falling to a last minute goal against Fiji before being upset 1-0 by Papua New Guinea.
But they won't be underestimated, as Les Cagous have consistently tested New Zealand in recent times. The last encounter was a 0-0 draw in 2016, with the All Whites edging two other games 1-0 and 2-0 in the same year.
Hay said skipper Winston Reid is likely to be rested, after playing almost 180 minutes across the first two matches. Chris Wood's time may also be managed, given his importance to the cause, while Tommy Smith will captain the team.
A key focus for the All Whites on Friday will be taking their chances. While their two performances have been positive, they have been wasteful in front of goal, something they can't afford to repeat as the tournament reaches a climax.
"We definitely need to be a bit more clinical, but that's the sign of a squad improving slowly," said Wood. "We need to keep taking those chances and keep doing what we do at the back.
"The back five were outstanding [against Fiji] but us boys up top, me included, need to start taking chances better because they're not going to come as freely when you hit the semifinals or the final."
