Chris Wood nets Hat-Trick as All Whites blitz Samoa in FIFA World Cup qualifying

By Michael Burgess

A Chris Wood hat-trick, some eye-catching goals and an underdog Samoan team that won plenty of admirers.

In the end, this match worked out well for everyone. The All Whites prevailed 8-0 over the Pacific team on Monday at Mt Smart, in their final group match of the Oceania World Cup qualifiers.

It wasn’t the massacre that many had feared – which would have been a bad look for football in the region – as Samoa put in a courageous, resolute performance.

And the All Whites came through unscathed, with no injuries, plenty of chances to work on their attacking combinations and more questions to ponder for coach Darren Bazeley.

It wasn’t their best night, as they were sharper against Vanuatu last Friday. But it wasn’t easy with a team sitting so deep – looking to limit the damage from the first minute – though they will be disappointed with some of the option-taking.

Aside from Wood’s trio – which took him to 41 international goals, Callum McCowatt, Marko Stamenic, Frances de Vries (his first senior international goal), Elijah Just and Ben Waine rounded out the scoring.

Looking ahead, the All Whites will face Fiji in Wellington on March 21, for a place in the final at Eden Park on March 24. Tahiti – who beat Vanuatu 2-0 in the earlier match on Monday – will come up against New Caledonia in the other last-four clash.

When the dust settles, Samoa will be proud. To say the island nation, ranked No 186 in the world, were underdogs on Monday doesn’t do justice to the word.

They were a team full of amateur players, who usually battle in the lower tier of Oceania football, along with Tonga, Cook Islands and American Samoa.

A successful strategy to unearth more players of heritage from around the world has boosted their squad but it was still light years from the level they normally face, either at club or international level.

But they battled, they scrapped, they fought and they persisted, against massive odds.

Bazeley had made seven changes to the starting XI, with only Wood, Matt Garbett, Stamenic and Storm Roux retained from the team that kicked off on Friday.

Sarpreet Singh made his first start since June against Tunisia and Alex Paulsen was preferred in goal, while de Vries, Nando Pijnaker and Finn Surman were brought into the backline.

The pattern was set from the kickoff, as Samoa dropped immediately into their own half, with the whole team behind the ball.

And who could blame them, given what they were up against? They didn’t even chase their own goal kicks, preferring to stay in position for the next New Zealand attack.

However, the expected early avalanche of goals didn’t come, thanks to dogged defending and some heroic efforts by keeper Pele Fatu.

The All Whites took 23 minutes to open the scoring, with their tenth attempt. Shots were parried and blocked, while the All Whites took time to settle in the unusual circumstances.

Their ball speed and movement was lacking, playing into the hands of the massed defence. McCowatt finally broke the deadlock, tucking in the rebound from a Matt Garbett shot.

McCowatt set up the next, finding Wood, who neatly directed his shot into the far corner. The captain had his second minutes later, after Garbett unselfishly squared across the six-yard box.

The All Whites were flat for the first 15 minutes of the second half, lacking the incisive moments and often resorting to hopeful crosses, though Samoa deserved credit for their organisation.

They got going again in the 60th minute, with Wood’s third – an emphatic volley – after Waine cleverly headed a de Vries cross into his path.

Soon afterwards there was a special moment for Stamenic – whose mother is Samoan – as he found the bottom corner after an exchange of passes with Garbett.

Samoa had their moments, with loud cheers when they had their first shot, and then won an attacking free kick.

But the All Whites had a final flourish. De Vries lashed home a half volley, cueing a big celebration – before Elijah Just came up with a trademark emphatic finish in the 87th minute.

Ben Waine had the last say, converting a penalty after de Vries was upended in the area.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission