19 Jan 2015

Sport: NZ and New Caledonia on brink of semis

12:07 pm on 19 January 2015

New Zealand and New Caledonia have a chance to seal their spots in the Oceania Under 17 Football semi finals in Apia on Monday.

Both teams are unbeaten in Group A with a maximum nine points, four points clear of nearest challenger Papua New Guinea.

The winner of today's top of the table clash is guaranteed passage into the final four while a draw should also be enough, thanks to a superior goal difference.

PNG will know by the time they kick off against Samoa if they're still alive in the competition.

The hosts are already out of the running but have been buoyed by their weekend victory against the Cook Islands.

Head coach Desmond Faai'uaso says the challenge is to keep going.

"We treat every game [like] a final. It's very hard because my boys, this is their first time to play for the country but the game against PNG will bring up something".

In the other match on Monday Fiji face the Cook Islands, with both teams still searching for their first win of the tournament.