The All Whites have kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying journey with a 3-0 victory against Tahiti in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Head coach Darren Bazeley named a full-strength team for the match, with only two changes to the side that drew 1-1 with the USA last month, both due to players not being in the squad this window.

In defence, Tyler Bindon replaced Finn Surman, and Ben Old came in to replace Joe Bell as part of a shuffled midfield.

The All Whites opened the match brilliantly, taking the lead after just 91 seconds.

Alex Rufer won the ball back in midfield and played a defence-splitting pass through to Eli Just.

Just took the ball in his stride and fired a precise curling shot into the corner of the Tahiti net.

The early goal forced Tahiti to retreat into a defensive block, often with eleven players behind the ball, making it challenging for the All Whites to break through and extend their lead.

Despite dominating possession, the closest the All Whites came before half-time was a great run and shot from Ben Old that hit the post in the 40th minute.

The second half saw Tahiti continue with their defensive approach, limiting the All Whites' opportunities.

But on 67 minutes, the pressure finally told.

A well-placed Sam Sutton corner found the head of captain Chris Wood, who nodded the ball across the keeper to double the All Whites' advantage and extend his tally to 35 senior goals for his country.

 

With a minute of normal time remaining, substitute Ben Waine made it three with his second All Whites goal in the last two games.

A long pass fell to Matt Garbett just inside the box, who flicked the ball on to Waine for an instinctive finish.

Speaking after the match, head coach Darren Bazeley expressed his satisfaction with the result in tough conditions:

“It was a difficult game; we knew it was going to be challenging, as the conditions and the pitch levelled things a bit.

“We got off to a good start, but fair play to Tahiti, they sat back and killed the game a little bit as part of their game plan…

“…we got the job done; we won the game, and we got the three points.

“Coming away from home to environments like this is challenging, so it was navigated pretty safely.”

The All Whites will now return home to New Zealand, where they will face Malaysia in an international friendly at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland on Monday.

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Final Score:

All Whites – 3 (2’ Eli Just, 67’ Chris Wood, 89’ Ben Waine)
Tahiti – 0

Article added: Friday 11 October 2024