London - Arabstoday
New Zealand have won through to their second successive Men’s Olympic Football Tournament by edging a 1-0 win against Fiji in the Oceania final in Taupo.
A lone Greg Draper penalty on 18 minutes was enough for the Kiwis on home turf to get the better of the Fijians in a tight contest.
Fiji were not without their chances and skipper Esava Naqaleca smashed a powerful header off the crossbar a minute into the second half, with Zibraaz Sahib repeated the feat three minutes later.
New Zealand, missing several key players, endured a similarly tough semi-final before defeating Vanuatu 3-2, while Fiji enjoyed easier passage to the decider with a 3-0 win against Papua New Guinea.
Only three spots remain for London 2012 with the CONCACAF qualifiers to be completed early next month and the final ticket to be contested in a play-off between Senegal and an Asian representative in late April at the City of Coventry stadium.