New Zealand showcased its dominance at the OFC U-19 Men’s Championship with an impressive performance against Papua New Guinea in Apia.
The Kiwis, led by Chris Greenacre, had already secured a spot in the semi-finals after winning their first two matches. Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues opened the scoring within five minutes by breaking the offside trap.
Daniel Makowen quickly added two more goals, and Lewis Partridge scored a fourth. Sumareni Kini made consecutive saves to keep his team ahead.
Papua New Guinea struggled to pose a threat but came close to scoring late in the first half, with Gorden Mark capitalizing on a loose pass. In the second half, Papua New Guinea showed improvement, controlling more of the possession but failing to test Wallis in the New Zealand goal.
Just before the hour mark, they conceded a sixth goal, with Sloane-Rodrigues’ shot parried by Kini, and Keegan Kelly converting the rebound for his second goal. Nathaniel Walker added a seventh goal in the 67th minute as both teams felt the effects of the heat.
Gorden Mark was the main attacking threat for Papua New Guinea as they sought consolation, and Kelly completed his hat-trick from close range.
Stipe Ukich scored the tenth goal for New Zealand, while Ryan Watson added another goal from the bench in the closing minutes. With a perfect record and topping the group, New Zealand will now face Fiji in the semi-finals, while Papua New Guinea gets ready to play Vanuatu in the playoff for 7th place.
Papua New Guinea: 0
New Zealand: 10 (Gabriel SLOANE-RODRIGUES 5’, 26’, Daniel MAKOWEM 11’, 16’, Keegan KELLY 18’, 58′ 71′, Nathaniel WALKER 67′, Stipe UKICH 75′, Ryan WATSON 89′)
HT: 0-5
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