NZ 20s edge Tahiti, next up Tonga

Image credit: New Zealand Football.

The New Zealand U-20 men’s team, featuring three current secondary school players and a group of recent school leavers, defeated home team Tahiti in a tight match on Monday in their OFC U-19 Championship opener.
 
New Zealand showed good composure and character as they defeated Tahiti 2-1 in front of a boisterous crowd at Stade Pater in Pirae.
 
“We knew that playing the hosts first up they would come out of the traps flying,” said coach Des Buckingham after the game. “It was important that we got a foothold in the game. We did that. We went into half-time at 0-0 and it was important that we stayed right mentally going into the second half. As it progressed we grew into the game and it was pleasing to see some of the work we have put in pay off.”
 
Buckingham said his squad has bonded quickly as a group and that puts them in good stead when they come up against tough opposition like Tahiti.
 
New Zealand are the defending champions and are looking to book their place in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland next year.
 
“We knew that they would be well prepared – the last time they hosted the U-19 Championship they qualified for the World Cup. For us, we had 10 training sessions together and this was our first competitive game together so to get the three points from a 2-1 win over the hosts is a good start.”
 
Both teams had their chances to open the scoring in the first 45 minutes, but it was experienced forward Max Mata who broke the deadlock shortly after half-time.
 
New Zealand’s skipper Joe Bell, who led from the front in the middle of the park in his first time captaining his country, went on a searching run and his cross hit the hand of a Tahitian defender. Referee George Time did not hesitate in pointing to the spot and Mata was clinical with his left-footed penalty to the bottom right corner in the 53rd minute.
 
Eight minutes later there was more to come from the tournament favourites. Leon Van Den Hoven took the ball to the by-line in a run that asked questions of the Tahitian defence – the attacking midfielder from RKC Waalwijk felt that he had a good shout for a penalty but Time waved it away for a corner kick.
 
Willem Ebbinge stepped up and delivered a great corner kick to the far post to pick out Mata who laid it off for Charles Spragg to finish from close range. It was a great team goal and one that saw New Zealand jump out to a deserved 2-0 lead.
 
Spragg, who was a standout for the NZ U-17s at the OFC U-16 Championship two years ago when he finished as the tournament’s leading goal scorer with seven, and picking up the golden ball as the tournament’s most valuable player, continued his good record in the Pacific Islands.
 
Just as the Kiwis were looking to control the final 30 minutes of the game, Tahiti were back in the contest through a wonderful strike from Eddy Kaspard only three minutes later.
 
New Zealand should have had a third goal when the ball fell fortuitously for Kingsley Sinclair in the box, but his attempt went flying over the bar.
 
New Zealand play their second game of the OFC U-19 Championship on Thursday against Tonga at the same venue. Tonga lost their opening match to Papua New Guinea 4-0. 
 
Current school players in the team at this tournament are Willem Ebbinge (Scots College), Kingsley Sinclair (Sacred Heart College) and Zac Jones (Wellington College).

OFC U-19 Championship 
New Zealand 2 (Max Mata 53’, Charles Spragg 61’) Tahiti 1 (Eddy Kaspard 64’) 
HT: 0-0 
Stade Pater, Pirae, Tahiti
 
New Zealand: 1. Cameron Brown (GK), 2. Jordan Spain, 3. Dino Botica, 4. Joe Bell ©, 5. Robert Tipelu, 9. Max Mata, 10. Charles Spragg (8. Trevor Zwetsloot 66’), 11. Willem Ebbinge (19. Oliver Whyte 90’ + 3’), 15. Callan Elliot, 16. Leon Van Den Hoven (9. Dane Schnell 80’), 18. Kingsley Sinclair
Subs not used:  7. Matthew Conroy, 12. Zac Jones, 14. Jorge Akers, 17. Boyd Curry 
Head Coach Des Buckingham 
Cautions: Joe Bell, Trevor Zwetsloot
  
OFC U-19 Championship Schedule
New Zealand vs Tonga
Thursday 9 August, 1pm (NZT)
Stade Pater, Pirae
​
Papua New Guinea vs New Zealand
Sunday 12 August, 1pm (NZT)
Stade Pater, Pirae
 
Semi-Finals
August 16 (NZT)
Stade Pater, Pirae
 
Final
August 19 (NZT)
Stade Pater, Pirae

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