The All Whites have reached the Oceania Qualifiers final after beating Tahiti is a combative game in Doha. 

The 1-0 victory, coming courtesy of Liberato Cacace’s first senior goal for New Zealand, sees Danny Hay’s side progress to face the Solomon Islands on Thursday morning (NZ) for a place at the Intercontinental Play-Off. 

The side was much changed from the previous game as Stefan Marinovic, Bill Tuiloma, Liberato Cacace, Joe Bell and Elijah Just all came in for their first starts this tournament.

Tahiti were very much on the defensive throughout, looking to catch the All Whites on the break. In the first half, good chances were continually repelled by the Tahitian back line to keep it goalless at half time. 

A highly contested game throughout, Tahiti were lucky some of their tackles didn’t result in tougher punishment than the four yellow cards they received. 

As the pressure built in the second half, the team continued to trust the game plan resulting in a well taken goal for Liberato Cacace in the 71st minute. Cacace started the move on the wing before moving inside and driving towards the box. His attempted 1-2 with Chris Wood fell to Alex Greive who fired it straight back to Cacace to finish. 

The final 20 minutes were a case of managing the game as defensive reinforcements Tommy Smith and Tim Payne came on to protect the lead. 

After the match Danny Hay spoke to media: 

“It was a tough game. They were very, very physical. Probably the most physical encounter we’ve ever been a part of. 

“But great that we are in the final. We’ve just got to regroup now and get ourselves ready for a very good Solomon Island’s team.”

Next up, the Solomon Islands to compete for a spot at the Intercontinental Play-Off. 

Article added: Monday 28 March 2022