The All Whites have beaten Samoa 8-0 to top FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania Qualifiers Group B with nine points, and locked in a semi-final against Fiji at Sky Stadium on March 21 2025. 

Darren Bazeley’s side dominated from the start at Go Media Stadium against a Samoan side content to have all eleven men behind the ball from the first minute to keep the score as low as possible. 

Samoa’s low block held firm for the first quarter of the game, thanks in part to a great performance in goal by Pele Fatu who twice produced close range saves from Matt Garbett and Sarpreet Singh. 

But in the 24th minute the deadlock broke and from there the game saw goals from Callum McCowatt, a Chris Wood hattrick, Marko Stamenić, a first goal for Francis de Vries, Eli Just, and a Ben Waine penalty. 

Watch the highlights now:
 

Article added: Monday 18 November 2024