The FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland next year will have Kiwi representation after New Zealand booked their berth with a dramatic 2-1 win over New Caledonia in the semi-finals of the OFC U-19 Championship in Tahiti this afternoon.

The defending champions were made to work hard for their ticket to the big show in Europe, falling behind in the first half before launching a stirring comeback in the second to continue their winning run at the tournament, which now stands at four matches.

“This was only our fourth ever game together so to get the result in a semi-final and qualify for the second biggest football tournament in the world is a huge credit to the players,” coach Des Buckingham said.

“We had a lot of ball possession in the first half but couldn’t find a way through New Caledonia so we changed a couple of things just before half-time and the players we brought on made a difference. It was the first time we’d been a goal down in the tournament and for the players to show the resilience they did and stick to the game plan was good to see, full credit to them for that,” he added.

“To come here and compete against these nations that are very well prepared is a very difficult task and I don’t think people realise that sometimes. So for them to apply themselves as they did and for us to put New Zealand back in the U-20 World Cup is a fantastic achievement for everybody.”

Due to their unblemished record going into the encounter, New Zealand were favourites to edge out New Caledonia but their closest test so far had also come against fellow Francophone opposition in the form of Tahiti so it was unlikely to be a straightforward task.

The depth of New Zealand’s squad was again underlined with Buckingham able to recall captain Joe Bell, Jordan Spain, Matthew Conroy and Leon van den Hoven, who all had a rest from the starting line-up in the earlier 4-0 win over Papua New Guinea.

The refreshed team enjoyed plenty of possession in the first period but New Caledonia were clearly well-drilled and proved difficult to break down. And they showed they could also be a threat at the other end in the 41^st minute when New Zealand didn’t manage to clear a set piece and the ball ended up in Cameron Brown’s net for an own goal.

That left New Caledonia dreaming of a debut appearance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup but New Zealand were no less keen on a return to the global stage and dug deep to haul themselves back into the contest.

They got themselves back on level terms just ten minutes into the second half when Max Mata got his head to a deep free kick and directed his effort over a stranded Une Kecine in goal to set up a tense ending.

It was New Zealand who kept their composure to complete the job, scoring the match-winning goal in the 76^th minute when Willem Ebbinge was played in behind the New Caledonia defence and beat Kecine at the second attempt.

That was far from the end of the drama though as Buckingham’s side later had to negotiate a whopping seven minutes of injury time, during which New Caledonia were reduced to ten men when Paul Gope-Fenepej was dismissed with seconds remaining.

Goal scorer Mata was delighted to be returning to the big time after previously starring at the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

“We spoke about trying to be professional and that’s something we always talk about every time we come to the islands. It’s a very tough place to come and professionalism is a big part of success,” he said.

“I think we showed both professionalism and resilience and those were two things we promised ourselves we’d do. We tried to keep a cool head and manage the game properly. We had a good feeling inside that we would score and we did,” he added.

“I’ve qualified for a World Cup before and it was the best feeling of my life and now I’ve got that feeling again. So I’m lucky I’ve had a once-in-a-lifetime feeling twice in my life.”

New Zealand will face Tahiti, who defeated Solomon Islands 3-1 in the other semi-final, in the final of the OFC U-19 Championship on Sunday 19 August at 4pm (NZ time) with live streaming available via www.oceaniafootball.com

Match Details

New Zealand 2 (Max Mata 55’, Willem Ebbinge 76’)
New Caledonia 1 (own goal 41’)
HT: 0-1

New Zealand: 1. Cameron Brown (GK), 2. Jordan Spain, 3. Dino Botica (19. Oliver Whyte 90’ + 5’), 4. Joe Bell (c), 5. Robert Tipelu, 6. Dane Schnell, 7. Matthew Conroy (10. Charles Spragg 62’), 8. Trevor Zwetsloot (11. Willem Ebbinge 40’), 9. Max Mata, 15. Callan Elliot, 16. Leon van den Hoven
Substitutes not used: 12. Zac Jones (GK), 14. Jorge Akers, 17. Boyd Curry, 18. Kingsley Sinclair
Cautions: Leon van den Hoven 27’, Trevor Zwetsloot 33’, Robert Tipelu 50’, Dino Botica 83’, Charles Spragg 83’, Cameron Brown 85’, Callan Elliot 90’ + 6’
Coach: Des Buckingham

Article added: Thursday 16 August 2018