Big win keeps Junior All Whites in hunt

New Zealand are nearly there.

History beckons the Junior All Whites, following last night’s 5-1 thrashing of Myanmar at Wellington Regional Stadium.

They’ve never progressed past the group stage at a Fifa U-20 World Cup, but have now given themselves every chance.

Results will ultimately determine if New Zealand have enough goals and enough points to qualify for the last 16, by virtue of being one of the best third-placed teams across the six groups.

Ukraine won Group A, courtesy of their 3-0 win over the United States in Auckland last night. The USA finished second in the group, with New Zealand just behind.

Myanmar made most of the early runningand it was no shock when they took the lead, in the 27th minute. Aung Thu collected the ball on the left-hand edge of the penalty area, took a touch inside and then curled a lovely right-foot shot beyond the despairing dive of New Zealand goalkeeper Nik Tzanev.

Five minutes later, it looked as if Thu was going to put Myanmar 2-0 up. From 30 metres out, he unleashed a rocket that cannoned off the crossbar and away to safety.

Something had to bring the home side to life and it was that stroke of luck. Suddenly they were in the game and then level at 1-1, when Noah Billingsley tapped in a perfect cross from the left flank by Deklan Wynne.

Myanmar, who had looked a class above New Zealand, were now anything but as the teams jogged off for halftime.

The game had barely restarted before Monty Patterson had the Junior All Whites 2-1 ahead. Some neat passing in the penalty area, highlighted by an Alex Rufer backheel, saw the ball eventually end up in Patterson’s path.

He calmly tucked it away to truly change the complexion of the match. The majority of the football was now being played in Myanmar’s half, with New Zealand looking as if they had more goals in them.

It took until the 79th minute, but Joel Stevens finally provided it. Billingsley cut a ball back from the byline where Stevens, just on as a substitute, took a touch and buried his shot to make it 3-1.

The crowd were barely back in their seats, when Sam Brotherton rose superbly to nod home an 81st minute corner and put New Zealand 4-1 in front. The highlight for locals came in the 89th minute when former St Patrick’s College and Wellington Olympic star Clayton Lewis profited from a goalkeeping howler to make it 5-1.

Somewhere Argentina, who’d been held to a 0-0 draw by Austria earlier in the night, still had the slimmest of chances to progress to the last 16, provided New Zealand and Myanmar drew. But the sixtime champions are definitely off home to Buenos Aires now.

Austria finished second in Group B, behind Ghana, who secured top spot by beating Panama yesterday.