Coach Darren Bazeley: Time for squad to recover ahead of knockout stages

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New Zealand will use the next three days to physically recover from their three games in six days at the OFC U-19 Championship in Tahiti.

Coach Darren Bazeley says his support staff will do a good job at helping prepare his squad for Monday’s quarter-final.

New Zealand will learn its first opponent in the knockout stages when Groups B and C complete their pool games.

New Zealand’s Isaac Hughes is injured.  Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Phototek

The opponent will be Papua New Guinea, Tonga or Vanuatu.

Main photo: Coach Darren Bazeley … happy with the performance against the Solomon Islands.

Interviewed after New Zealand’s 6-0 win against the Solomon Islands, Bazeley said he thought it had been New Zealand’s best performance so far at the 11-nation tournament.

“They’re really coming together as a group,” he said.

Bazeley said the team had carried out its plan well, with rhythms and patterns of passing that created lots of different angles for passes.

READ MORE: Match report from 6-0 win against Solomon Islands >>>>

The only immediate injury concern was to Wellington Phoenix player Isaac Hughes who suffered a knock 10 minutes into the final group game and would need treatment for an ankle/hip problem.

New Zealand need to reach the final of the tournament to qualify for next year’s FIFA Men’s U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.

New Zealand scored 23 goals and conceded none in winning Group A.

Group A (final)

Fixture

Quarter-final

Game to be played on Monday September 19, 2022, 2.30pm (NZT)

New Zealand v Best performed 3rd team from Groups B/C
Stade Fautaua, Papeete, Tahiti

Results

Game played on Thursday September 8, 2022

New Zealand 8 (Kian Donkers 2′, 21′, 35′, 44′ pen, Jay Herdman 39′, Oliver Colloty 71′ pen, 84′, Oliver Fay 82′)
Cook Islands 0

Game played on Sunday September 11, 2022

New Zealand 9 (Jackson Manuel 27′, Oliver Colloty 36′, 50′ pen, 58′, Charlie Beale 40′, 73′, Finn Surman 45’+2′, Kian Donkers 76′ pen, 85′)
American Samoa 0

Game played on Wednesday September 14, 2022

New Zealand (Kian Donkers 23′, 43′ pen, Adam Supyk 54′, 69′, Everton O’Leary 67′)
Solomon Islands 0

READ MORE: All our stories from the OFC U-19 Championship >>>>

The draw

The group winners and runners-up from each group will progress to the quarter-final stage, as well as the two highest-ranked third-placed teams.

Quarterfinals 

Q1: NEW ZEALAND (winners Group A) v Best performed 3rd team from B/C

Q2: TAHITI v Best performed 3rd team from A/C

Q3: NEW CALEDONIA v SOLOMON ISLANDS (runners-up Group A)

Q4: FIJI v SAMOA

Semi-finals

Winners Q1 v Winners Q2

Winners Q3 v Winners Q4

About the OFC U-19 Championship

New Zealand have won the championship at seven of the 22 previous tournaments.

New Zealand are the current title holders, having won in 2018, the last time the championship was held.

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