Fiji and the Young All Whites clash. Photo / Steven McNicholl
New Zealand remain on course for a place in next week's Oceania Under-17 Championship final but they will need to improve from what they showed in edging Fiji 1-0 yesterday if they are to go into the tournament decider with real confidence.
Struggling, in the first half in particular, to
master the windy conditions and bumpy North Harbour outer oval pitch, the Young All Whites lacked the cohesion and finesse international football demands.
"We didn't exactly deserve to lose," said New Zealand coach Steve Cain. "It is a learning process, but at least we won with a great goal."
The match winner, a 50th-minute Jordan Vale header from a Rhys Jordan right-wing corner, was all that separated the teams. It was the first corner at the southern end of the ground after the Fijians had failed to force one in the opening 45 minutes.
Playing a static four, and with too much ball given away, the home side were often forced to chase back in defence.
The visitors had a couple of good chances in the last 15 minutes, with Vale clearing a likely effort from a Fijian corner and goalkeeper Scott Basalaj tipping a thunderous stoppage time Al-taaf Sahib freekick over his goal for a corner.
Cain later admitted some of his players "had not had their best games" but said he was happy to pocket the points, which took them to the top of the table on goal difference from Papua New Guinea who made hard work of it in beating American Samoa 2-1 in the late game.
Ironically, Fiji and the Solomon Islands, the teams rated as the best of the rest by Cain, have both been beaten and will not make the final.
New Zealand face the rejuvenated American Samoans tomorrow, well aware a good win would almost certainly ensure them of group A honours before they play PNG in Sunday's final-round clash.
Group B favourites Tahiti play Cook Islands in today's early game followed by Tonga against the Solomons.
