Football Ferns defeat Fiji to reach Oceania qualifiers final

The Football Ferns comfortably defeated Fiji 5-0 on Saturday and continued their dominance in the quest to qualify for next year's Football World Cup.

The semi-finals of the Oceania qualifiers in Hamilton were played a day earlier than originally scheduled due to Cyclone Vaianu but the change did not throw the hosts off their game.

New Zealand were on the scoresheet in the fifth minute when Kelli Brown slotted the ball home off a rebound off the Fiji goalkeeper.

A header from captain Kate Taylor doubled the lead after 20 minutes, for her third career goal for the Football Ferns.

Off a corner Michaela Foster put a ball into the box from distance that resulted in her second goal for New Zealand, and her first in her hometown, when she extended the lead further in the 27th minute.

Katie Kitching had been denied twice from shots on goal but she eventually got her goal in the 38th minute after Deven Jackson feed her the ball to finish a good interchange of Football Ferns play.

After the break, Fiji were put under pressure but keeper Mereseini Waqali saved multiple chances to keep New Zealand at bay until the 75th minute when substitute Hannah Blake scored New Zealand's fifth and final.

So far across the qualification for the World Cup the Football Ferns have scored 24 goals across four games and have not conceded.

New Zealand now progress to Wednesday's final against Papua New Guinea in Auckland.

The winner of that game will secure their place at the World Cup in Brazil.

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