New Zealand to play Solomon Islands in Oceania World Cup qualifying final

New Zealand's Liberato Cacace scored a second-half winner as they beat Tahiti 1-0 on Sunday to book their place in the final of the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament, where they will take on Solomon Islands who edged Papua New Guinea 3-2.

New Zealand dominated the semi-final at the Grand Hamad Stadium in Doha but were unable to find a way past a stubborn Tahitian defence until the 70th minute when Carace fired home from close range.

Earlier on Sunday, goals from Alvin Hou and Raphael Lea'i helped Solomon Islands beat Papua New Guinea in a frenetic match to seal their place in the final, which will be played on Wednesday.

Hou cancelled out Alwin Komolong's opener in the first half and scored again after the break before Lea'i looked to have sealed the result.

A late goal from Ati Kepo pulled Papua New Guinea back into the contest but they were unable to force extra time.

Oceania, which does not have an automatic spot at the World Cup, is staging a mini-tournament in Doha to decide which team advances to an intercontinental playoff for a place at the finals.

FIFA restructured the format of the tournament after the Cook Islands and Vanuatu withdrew due to COVID-19 cases.

The winner of Wednesday's final will face the fourth-placed team from the CONCACAF region, which features sides from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

New Zealand were the last Oceania team to qualify for the World Cup when they made the 2010 finals in South Africa.

(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)