However, both sides were forced to work for their victories as the Young All Whites encountered a fired-up Vanuatu in the first match where they earned a hard-fought 1-0 win, while Fiji battled to defeat the well-rested New Caledonians 3-2.
With two from two, the duo remains a step ahead of the pack in the standings as they aim to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Turkey 2013.
New Zealand dominated the early possession and were soon rewarded for their persistence when Bill Tuiloma pulled the ball back for Van Elia to sidefoot into the net on 23 minutes. Captain Luke Adams headed home for his side just before the break but the goal was ruled out for offside, leaving the Kiwis with a 1-0 advantage at half-time.
Vanuatu turned the game around in the second period possession-wise, but struggled to break through New Zealand’s defence. Striker Jean Kaltack had a excellent chance to equalise an hour in when he went one-on-one with Max Crocombe but blasted his shot straight at the goalkeeper.
New Zealand coach Chris Milicich was pleased with the result against a side who was clearly desperate for a victory.
“We were taken down to the wire and Vanuatu got their tails up. But we stuck in there and got the win, as well as a clean sheet,” Milicich said. “I think our goalkeeper had to make one good save and the rest of the time he was pretty much untested. It wasn’t pretty but it was a win.”
Vanuatu counterpart Moise Poida said his team played well but let themselves down with a costly mistake.
“We worked hard to try to make sure that wouldn’t happen in this game but unfortunately we were not concentrating for that moment and conceded a goal,” he said. “We had some chances but we missed them and that was the game. The hope is now very small for us, we will just have to keep playing to win.”
The second match of the day was a less predictable affair with hosts Fiji taking on an untested New Caledonia side fresh from their opening day bye.
With a huge crowd filling the main stand in support of the home side, it wasn’t long before Fiji opened the scoring and sent the vocal fans to their feet after New Caledonia goalkeeper Athony Ajapuhnya fumbled a save, allowing Ratu Nakalevu to slot the ball into the goal on nine minutes.
After an even period, it was New Caldedonia who next made it on the score board after Bernard Waelua capitalised on a defensive error to draw his side level in the 28th minute. But just five minutes later Fiji were back in front after Rusiate Matarerega sent a free kick flying into the back of the net. Matarerega then earned a brace after breaking through the New Caledonia defence and firing home to take his side into half-time with a 3-1 lead.
The end-to-end affair continued as both sides tried to capitalise on their opportunities before New Caledonia captain Jean-Brice Wadriako got his head to a Michel Wassin corner with two minutes of normal time remaining.
Satisfied with the team’s opening performance, New Caledonia coach Matthieu Delcroix said his players gave everything.
“Unfortunately, we let in two or three goals that could have been avoided. If there were five more minutes in the match it would have been good,” Delcroix said.
“The loss is the fault of a lack of attention on our part and we will also be working on sticking tightly to our tactics. We were caught out by their long balls so we may also look at working on that ahead of the next match against New Zealand.”
Fiji coach Ravinesh Kumar was relieved to have emerged with another win.
“It was a good match and towards the end of the game New Caledonia gave us a good run,” he said.
“We learned from our experiences against Vanuatu and I told the boys not to relax at the back, otherwise we would have problems. We did do that at times and New Caledonia were able to score. If they had been able to pressure us more then things may have changed.”
The OFC U-20 Championship returns on Monday with New Zealand facing New Caledonia at 2pm and Vanuatu meeting Papua New Guinea at 4.30pm while hosts Fiji have the bye.
Match Summary Vanuatu – New Zealand click here
Match Summary Fiji – New Caledonia click here
Competition Summary click here
Disciplinary Summary click here

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