New Zealand stick to routine ahead of OFC U-16 Women’s Championship final

Head coach Leon Birnie says his team will stick to its usual pre-match preparation ahead of Wednesday evening’s OFC U-16 Women’s Championship final against Fiji.

Though the match in Tahiti will decide which team represents Oceania at next year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Birnie told OFC Media in a pre-match interview:

“It’s just another game. We just want to go through the same routines, have the same build-up and treat it just like another game.

“If they (the players) can do that, and I’m sure there’ll be a vocal crowd here like there was in the semis …  if they can deal with that, relax (and) get the ball down, then I think, you know, we should be able to put on a good performance.”

Watch Leon Birnie’s interview

New Zealand’s Charli Dunn said she and her teammates would need to “stay calm, stay ready” and expect anything in the final.

“We expect them to come out very fast, very physical, throughout the whole game,” she told OFC Media.

“I think for us, we just need to put away our chances and play how we’ve been playing.”

Watch Charli Dunn interview

Before the final, Tahiti will play Tonga in the play-off for third place at 3pm (NZT).

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Fixture

New Zealand v Fiji
Stade Pater, Papeete, Tahiti, 6pm (NZT)

How to watch

The game will be live-streamed by OFC.

Here’s where you can watch the game:

New Zealand squad

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