The New Zealand under-20 men have secured a passage into the knockout stages of the Fifa under-20 World Cup in stunning style, midfielder Gianni Stensness netting one of the best goals ever scored by a Kiwi on the global stage to help his side to a 2-0 win over Norway.
The Oceania champions enjoyed the better of an encounter that was tight and evenly-contested for the most part but had to wait until midway through the second half to finally make a well-deserved breakthrough at Lodz Stadium in Poland.
After some neat interplay broke down, a loose ball came out to midfielder Stensness just outside the area and he unleashed an unstoppable strike into the top corner to place one foot into the Round of 16 for his country.
That job was completed 12 minutes later when Liberato Cacace – again hugely impressive in his role as a marauding left fullback – stormed into the box and found Elijah Just, whose cross was turned in by an unfortunate defender as New Zealand forced an own goal for the second time at this tournament.
![Gianni Stensnesscelebrates scoring his teams first goal of the game. Photo / Getty](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/A32KG42SBUF4HZWOU6B6Y3JKCM.jpg?auth=cdb269a3261b99736c540162894c3a9a51cd7cb64e29f5baf34062ad0891de61&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)