All Whites’ World Cup dream closer

The All Whites are four games away from the 2018 World Cup.

Their path is going to be a lot more complicated than that sentence might indicate, but last night’s 2-0 win over Fiji was another step towards Russia next year.

It means that if they negotiate the two-legged Oceania final in September, they can plan for a death or glory showdown with the fifth-placed South American team in November.

But that’s the future. Last night the All Whites got the job done — thanks to two superb goals from Ryan Thomas — but it was a patchy display, where they made heavy work of shaking off a resilient Fijian team.

Fiji also had some promising counter attacks, and a better side might have punished the All Whites.

The home side were sometimes unsettled by the Islanders’ physical approach. A couple of their players wouldn’t look out of place in a rugby lineout, and they made their presence felt with some hefty challenges.

But overall All Whites coach Anthony Hudson was pleased with another “professional performance”.

“We were in control and we played some very good football,” he said.

“From start to finish we dominated the game and when we had to defend, we defended well together. Overall it was a very solid tour. It’s a big progression from last year when we played against the Island teams. We were a lot more dominant in possession and the mentality was good.”

There were also plenty of positives, particularly Thomas. He was outstanding with a busy display in midfield, showing why he is one of the most highly rated young players in the Netherlands.

“The goals were class,” said Hudson. “[But] it’s not just his quality. He’s tenacious, and his work ethic. I said it in the changing room — he was outstanding tonight.”

Said Thomas: “I was very happy . . . I don’t score two goals very often in a game.”

Shane Smeltz led the line well and Clayton Lewis showed his promise