OFC U 20 championship

New Caledonia topped the pool by defeating Papua New Guinea 4-1, while Vanuatu edged defending champions Fiji 1-0 in the other match on Saturday and should they both win again against Fiji and Papua New Guinea respectively they would wrap up the top two places with a game to spare.

Confirming a place in the final four of the eight nation is a step closer to qualifying for next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, which for the first time welcomes two teams from the OFC qualifying tournament, specifically the winners of each semi-final.

New Zealand make a return to this level of regional competition after sitting out the 2014 edition due to their automatic qualification as host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2015.

Bringing a wealth of experience to the squad are Moses Dyer and Clayton Lewis, both of whom made large contributions to Darren Bazeley’s 2015 U-20 world cup squad.