APIA, Samoa - Whether it’s pride or a berth in the semi-finals of the OFC U-17 Championship, there is still plenty to for the six Group A sides to play for on Match Day 7 in Apia, Samoa today (Monday in Samoa).

New Caledonia and New Zealand are on course to qualify for the next stage of this competition however their encounter tomorrow could prove to be the undoing for one of them.

The current Group A leaders will open Match Day 7 action at J.S. Blatter Football Complex at 2pm. It will be the New Caledonian’s third match at this early hour but for the Kiwis it will be the first and the potential conditions are likely to heavily influence the way coach Jose Figuiera lines up his squad, and the approach he employs.

Very little divides these two teams on paper as they both sit comfortably on nine points, ahead of Papua New Guinea on four. What does separate them however is goal difference with New Zealand on 18 for, 1 against comparing slightly better than their counterparts 16 for, 2 against.

New Zealand is a near complete package with power up front and reliability at the back. But as witnessed by the goal they conceded against Samoa, and the near misses from the feet of Papua New Guinea, 90 minutes of full concentration is no easy task. The same goes for New Caledonia. While they dominated from the outset against Fiji, a lapse in concentration saw their opponent get an early upper hand.

These kind of errors will not go unpunished by either of these teams and both will have to remain as vigilant as possible throughout the duration of the game.

Fiji and Cook Islands take up the mid-day mantle with both sides hurting from respective 5-1 defeats on Saturday. Both have shown they have the ability to score, and have threatened to do so on more than a few occasions, but at times disorganisation has crept in and they have shown themselves hard pressed to shut down quick, organised counter-attacks from opponents.

With pride on the line expect these two sides to throw everything at this encounter. Tired, sore bodies and previous results will have to be pushed from the players’ minds as lifting themselves off the bottom rung of the Group A ladder takes precedence.

The final encounter sees a buoyant Samoa take on Papua New Guinea in another must win for both teams. Only with a comprehensive victory can Papua New Guinea even look at threatening for that second Group A berth in the semi-finals. But Samoa have just as much on the line as they look set to earn their best ever finish at this event following their 5-1 drubbing of Cook Islands.

Once again pride will be a factor for these sides but how they manage their fourth high-intensity 90+ minute match will also come into the mix. There is little doubt these players will be unused to the intensity of matches at this level and having so many games in such a short space of time will also be a new experience for many of the players.

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