History was created last night in Lautoka as the Fiji Soccer team ended its 24 year losing streak against New Zealand All Whites with a much deserving 2-0 victory on home soil.

Waitakere United bound Labasa striker Roy Krishna’s magic stunned the Kiwis who will represent the Oceania region in the 2010 World Cup preliminaries as two brilliant strikes sent the 3000+ Churchill Park crowd into frenzy.

Fiji FA chief executive officer Bob Kumar said the achievement of the national team has set a good platform for Fiji’s future performances on the international scene.

“Beating New Zealand after a lapse of 24 years is certainly an achievement and the parent body is really happy with the achievement of the team, he said.

“Coach Carlos Buzzetti did not have much time to prepare the team but the result has certainly reflected his hard work and that of his technical department at the academy in Ba.

“Its was also encouraging to see Fiji field a lot of young players in the match and their outstanding performance in the match goes on to reflect the development program through which these players have come through.

“We have the U20 playoffs coming up next month and are preparing accordingly for that as well and then there’s the U17 playoff next year also.

“We will also be looking at getting some international teams for friendly matches to give more exposure to the senior and age group teams.

“The development plan of the parent body is currently in effect and come the next five years, we should be able to match the bigger nations” Kumar added.

With the win against the 70th placed Kiwis in the bag, Fiji’s standing in the next FIFA world ranking is set to improve by at least 10-12 places.

Fiji is currently ranked 137th in the world.

Fijilive

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