Soccer: Quality performance lays ghosts of five-year-old loss

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Any ghosts left rattling around the All Whites camp after the 1-0 loss to Papua New Guinea the last time they met were comfortably laid to rest with a 9-1 win at North Harbour Stadium yesterday.

The win, on the back of a four-goal haul from Chris Killen, ensured the All Whites' passage to Friday's Oceania Nations Cup semifinals where they are likely to meet the winner of today's early Ericsson Stadium clash between Fiji and Vanuatu.

From the time Chris Killen scored two in two minutes in the eighth and 10th minutes, the All Whites were always going to win.

More important, they did it with some panache, refusing to ever sit back, finishing strongly with three goals in the last six minutes.

In conditions the opposite of those in Port Moresby five years ago, the All Whites were a class apart.

With the heavy conditions making play difficult for central midfielders Ivan Vicelich and Ryan Nelsen, the All Whites went wide and were rewarded with strong games from Aaran Lines and Duncan Oughton, which in turn led to some well-taken goals.

Papua New Guinea and former Waitakere City coach Steve Cain summed it up simply: "I thought for the first minute we were in the game."

To their credit, the visitors never gave it away and showed some nice touches at times.

"We let ourselves down with some simple things like being caught ball watching,' said Cain.

All Whites coach Mick Waitt had to address problems of a different nature.

"It is difficult to keep things going when scoring so many goals."

While Waitt rang the changes in giving Lee Jones his first cap and James Bannatyne, Mark Burton and Jeff Campbell their first run-on start, the All Whites were never troubled in continuing from where they left off in Friday's 4-0 win over Tahiti.

In six games before or during this tournament, the All Whites have scored 23 goals.

Killen started yesterday's goalfest when he ran on to a ball from Lines and beat two would-be tacklers, then headed a Campbell freekick home.

For the next 15 minutes some resolute defensive work led by PNG captain Joe Aisa stemmed the flow. The reprieve was only temporary.

Lines gathered from a quick throw and crossed to Campbell, who headed home.

A minute later Killen had his hat-trick - inside 28 minutes - when he headed home another Lines cross.

But the last say of the first half was with the visitors, when Reginald Davani - the most dangerous player in the PNG side - was brought down in an Oughton/Bannatyne sandwich.

Fijian referee Leone Rakaroi quickly pointed to the spot and Aisa thumped home the penalty.

Killen grabbed his fourth five minutes into the second spell, Nelsen added the sixth three minutes later and then followed the late three-goal trick with Campbell heading home again. Burton scored the eighth and substitute Raf de Gregorio the last in added time.

In the early game, another entertaining affair, Tahiti came from 0-2 to beat the Solomon Islands 3-2 with Steeve Fatupua-Lecaill grabbing the winner with his 93rd minute freekick which eluded everyone in a packed goalmouth.

In Saturday's first group A matches, a lack-lustre Australia, with goals from star Perth Glory strikers Damian Mori, in the 69th minute, and Bobby Despotovski five minutes from the end, beat Vanuatu 2-0 and Fiji beat Oceania newcomers New Caledonia 2-1.

In today's matches Fiji play Vanuatu at 5pm and Australia meet New Caledonia at 7.30.