All Whites Fiji

2 0 before he left the field midway through the second half. Tommy Smith made his first start in three years, and the Australian-born Ingham brothers both had game time, though neither particularly stood out.

Chris Wood was the notable absentee; given leave to return to England after he suffered a knock in Saturday’s 2-0 win, though Hudson confirmed it was only a precaution.

In perfect conditions at Westpac Stadium — hardly a breath of wind and no rain — the All Whites started well. Fullbacks Dane Ingham and Tom Doyle got down the flanks, and Marco Rojas and Michael McGlinchey were enjoying plenty of space in midfield.

But the expected early goal didn’t come; the crossing wasn’t accurate enough and the Fijians managed to get their bodies in the way of shots and passes.

And Fiji’s Roy Krishna looked dangerous, at one point sprinting from inside his own half to the edge of the New Zealand penalty area. He miscued his shot, which prompted ironic cheers of “Who are ya? Who are ya?” from the Yellow Fever zone.

After some near misses — the best of which was a chain of “one-two” passing between Thomas and Lewis, which was only stopped by an excellent save from the Fiji goalkeeper — the home side opened the scoring in the 27th minute.

Thomas’ finish from inside the area was crisp, lashed into the lefthand corner, his first goal for his country.

It also illustrated the value of Smeltz at this level, with the veteran striker laying a perfect one-touch pass into Thomas’ path. The 2010 World Cup hero is 35, but has enough smarts for one more campaign.

After a flat period early in the second half, the All Whites were revived by Thomas’ second goal, a deft glancing header from a pinpoint Doyle cross.

New Zealand 2 Fiji 0.

HT: 2-0 (R Thomas 27, 68)