New Zealand defeated New Caledonia 3-0 in the opening match of Group B at the OFC Men’s U-19 Championship.
Stipe Ukich, an attacker from Auckland City, scored two early shots on target, but New Caledonia’s goalkeeper put up a strong defence.
However, New Caledonia’s resilience was broken in the 18th minute when defender Jythrim Upa was penalized for raising his hands in the box. Ukich made no mistake from the penalty spot with his shot leaving Gabin Rachel rooted to the floor.
Although Ukich managed to score two more shots, they were disallowed after he was found to have fouled a New Caledonia defender.
Upa received a caution with a yellow card after a dangerous tackle on Tze Xuan Loke, escaping a potential send-off.
After the break, New Zealand extended their lead to 3-0, with Daniel Makowem providing a precise cross for Keegan Kelly to score.
New Caledonia came close to scoring, but Joseph Hnaissilin’s shot narrowly missed the target. In the next group match, New Zealand will face host Samoa, while New Caledonia will take on Papua New Guinea.
New Zealand: 3 (Stipe UKICH 18’, Ryan WATSON 45+5’, Keegan KELLY 48’)
New Caledonia: 0
HT 2-0
