By David Gold
March 23 – The semi-finals and final day of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) men’s football qualifiers for this summer’s London Olympics were postponed following extreme weather conditions in Taupo, New Zealand.
Because of the weather, the semi-finals were put back to today and the final re-scheduled for Sunday (March 25).
“With player welfare the top priority, officials concluded that a turnaround of 24 hours between matches should be avoided,” the OFC said on their website.
New Zealand were the last of the four teams to reach the semi-finals after they crushed Tonga 10-0.
They now face Vanautu.
Vanuatu lost 2-1 to Fiji in the clash to decide who won Group A.
Fiji will now play Papua New Guinea (pictured) in the semi-finals.
The last Group A game saw another big scoreline when American Samoa were trounced 16-1 by the Solomon Islands.
It has been a miserable tournament for minnows American Samoa – who last year won their first ever international – as they conceded an average of more than 10 goals per game during the qualifiers.
All games are taking place at Owen Delany Park, with the winning team booking the only spot for Oceania at London 2012.
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