There was a pleasant surprise for the All Whites as Papua New Guinea succumbed 7-0 at North Harbour Stadium on June 11 - they were forced to wait before they could get on with the job. A crowd of about 3500 had been expected at the new stadium to witness the national side's first World Cup qualifier on home turf in four years, but when the teams kicked off at 7.45pm, three times that number were on hand to roar their approval. The start had been delayed to accommodate the masses still gathered at the gates as the scheduled kick-off time approached - the lessons of Hillsborough have reached these shores at last, and these obstacles were eventually flung open to let allcomers in, many of whom were youngsters. The man tomorrow's stars primarily came to see did not disappoint them. Wynton Rufer orchestrated proceedings in a manner fully befitting the professional he is. The Papua New Guineans stood in awe of the Kaiserslautern midfielder throughout the match, which resulted in Rufer being given copious amounts of space in which to direct operations. The first five minutes saw three strikes on goal emanating from the 34-year-old, none of which, unfortunately, found the target. He did have a hand, or, rather, a head, in the first goal, flicking Tim Stevens' tenth minute corner down to Ivan Vicelich. He drilled the ball hard and low into the danger zone, where Vaughan Coveny deftly flicked the ball into the far corner with the inside of his right heel. Three minutes later, Coveny struck again, a more orthodox effort every bit as devastating. Willie Bera, PNG's goalkeeper, barely got his fingertips to the striker's rasping twenty-five yard drive which sizzled into the net to give the All Whites a firm grip on their own destiny. Chris Jackson twice went close before the moment the throngs had gathered for - a goal from the prodigal son. High he rose in the 23rd minute to meet another pinpoint Simon Elliott cross, and Bera was left clutching air as the ball found the net from Rufer's head. The 'keeper was clawing at the elements again eight minutes later, as Rufer unleashed a top-notch free-kick from twenty yards around the wall and into the net beside the upright for his second. By this stage, anything looked possible for the All Whites, who were really humming. Plenty of movement, quality passing by and large ... Joe McGrath was well pleased with things, and rightly so.

Central to much of what was good was Elliott. On the left flank, he was inspirational. Tormenting his markers with gay abandon, and crossing with accuracy aplenty, his was a supply line which delivered quality in great quantity. It was fitting that he should crown his game with a goal, and he duly struck five minutes before the interval. The inspiration of this goal was Stevens. He got through a power of work on the right flank to create the chance in the first place, and was in the process of repeating the dose a minute from the break when he was crudely cut down in full flight by Duri Yarawi. Australian referee Edward Lennie saw no offence, and in ignoring the All Whites' claims for a clearcut penalty, recorded his one blemish of the evening. Rufer volleyed over just before the interval, while Elliott repeated the dose just after it. Then Bera earned his keep, twice at Coveny's expense, as the All Whites pressed for a sixth goal to maintain their first half momentum. Elliott's tantalising cross did everything but go in, Bera being beaten all ends up by a swerving effort which dropped against the crossbar in the 58th minute. Peter Paliwa was quickest to clear the danger, but was a mere spectator four minutes later. Kenny Harlock, introduced to the fray at the expense of an unusually ordinary Michael McGarry, looked to crown his international debut with a goal just six minutes after coming on. But his twenty-yard screamer flashed past the upright, much to the relief of Bera and friends. A sixth goal had to come, and Coveny was the chief celebrant, pinching a hat-trick off Rufer with a powerful close-range finish in the 68th minute which gave the well-performed Bera no chance. Opportunities continued to fall the All Whites' way, many to Stevens. But while his abilities as a creator of scoring chances can't be doubted, his finishing abilities deserted him on this night until nine minutes from time, when a stunning two-pass move saw Mark Atkinson and Darren McClennan combining to send the National League's leading marksman scampering away. Stevens took what was probably his most difficult chance with all the aplomb of a veteran, and in doing so completed the scoring - 7-0. Now for Fiji. All Whites:  Batty; Gray, Vicelich, Wilkinson; Stevens, Jackson, Atkinson, McGarry, Elliott; Rufer, Coveny. Subs:  Harlock, McClennan, Rowe Referee:  Edward Lennie (Australia)