New Zealand showed their intent from the outset with Dylan Manickum setting up captain Micky Malivuk for the opener against Vanuatu in the OFC Futsal Nations Cup.
This was quickly followed by a lovely finish from Jordi Ditfort with less than three minutes on the clock.
Sandy Mesau forced a couple of good saves from Ellias Billeh at the other end but the New Zealanders continued to control the tempo of the game with Malivuk adding to his tally before Oban Hawkins netted midway through the first period.
Despite Vanuatu not conceding again in the opening half, the Futsal Whites showed intensity, concentration, speed and accuracy to have every reason to go into the break satisfied with their work.
Vanuatu keeper Anthony Quai produced a string of saves to keep his side in the game at the start of the second half, and his outfield players responded by creating a number of scoring opportunities on the counter to test the New Zealanders.
The Melanesians’ resistance was finally broken by a beautiful goal set up by Stephen Ashby-Peckham and finished off by Brayden Lissington.
Captain and Vanuatu futsal legend Ben Hungai got his side on the scoreboard but his celebration was cut short with the Kiwis scoring three goals in quick succession through Ditfort, Logan Wisnewski and Manickum to cap their win.
Futsal Whites coach Marvin Eakins was delighted with the team’s performance.
“We knew Vanuatu would bounce back from yesterday’s loss and they have. They were much improved in their performance and they challenged us on the counter attack and they defended really well in their half as well, so pretty happy that we were able to break them down with a couple of early goals and continue scoring on a regular basis,” he explained.
Meanwhile Richard Lehi in charge of Vanuatu remained confident his inexperienced side will learn from the defeat.
“We have a very young team compared to an experienced New Zealand team and we have very young players who need more time to reach a certain level we want. Hopefully Vanuatu will come strong in the last game and I think my boys can finish with a win,” he said.
Photo OFC TV