Soccer: Kiwi teen nabs hat-trick at World Cup

Stephen Carmichael (centre) creates headaches for Ganisher Kholmurodov (left) en route to his hat-trick. Photo / Getty Images

Stephen Carmichael, unwanted on the qualifying campaign, turned hat-trick hero for the Young All Whites yesterday.

The 16-year-old Central United and Sacred Heart College midfielder was the decisive figure in the 4-1 win over Uzbekistan in their opening game at the under-17 World Cup in Torreon, Mexico.

Carmichael was not sighted as they powered through the Oceania qualifying tournament and he was still out in the cold on a subsequent preparatory tour to Qatar.

But with the changing of the coaching guard as Aaron McFarland replaced Steve Cain, Carmichael was drafted into the squad, made his debut en route to Mexico and in Torreon yesterday emerged as the unlikely early leader in the race for the tournament's golden boot against the second-best Asian qualifier Uzbekistan.

"It is an awesome feeling - just unbelievable," said Carmichael before joining his teammates for an impromptu haka in the sheds.

"I wasn't sure I was going to make the squad and it was a nervous wait to see if I would be in or not. Once you get the opportunity you've got to take it."

Carmichael scored in the 10th, 36th and 53rd minutes with Jordan Vale capping an impressive display by the youngsters with a late strike to complete the victory which left them atop the group D standings after the United States had beaten the Czech Republic 3-0 in the late game.

On song from the outset, despite the sapping 38C heat, Carmichael opened the scoring for New Zealand when he snapped home a cracker after Tim Payne had played the ball on after getting on the end of a long clearance from goalkeeper Scott Basalaj.

After Payne and Bill Tuiloma failed to convert half chances, Carmichael had his second when he had his initial shot blocked by Uzbek goalkeeper Ganisher Kholmurodov.

In attempting to get his foot to the ball for a second attempt Carmichael tumbled, regained his feet and coolly slotted.

After saving one good effort from the Uzbekistan attack, Basalaj had little chance when Timur Khakimov closed the gap in the 39th minute with a shot from an acute angle.

Eight minutes into the second half Carmichael met a Cameron Howieson cross perfectly to thump home his third, and just before the end Vale slammed the door with a cracking volley from a Rhys Jordan freekick.

McFarland was overjoyed with the result.

"It's a game we targeted to win. We had a plan to achieve that and things went our way," said McFarland who, along with his technical adviser in Mexico, Ramon Tribulietx, will take Auckland City to December's Fifa Club World Cup in Japan.

"We want to get out of the group and even make the quarter-finals. We have to start believing we are here to win games."

Of Carmichael, McFarland said: "He's being doing really well on tour and has proven himself in the heat. He'll take the glory today but in the next game it may be someone else."

That game, against the Czechs on Thursday, is vital to both teams. A point would very likely secure New Zealand's progress; a loss would end Czech hopes.

AND UZBEKISTAN MAKES IT FOUR

The 4-1 win by the Young All Whites over Uzbekistan yesterday was just the fourth win by a New Zealand team in 44 games at Fifa World Cup tournaments.

The three-goal triumph in Torreon, Mexico, is the biggest winning margin by a national side and the first by a Kiwi men's team outside New Zealand.

New Zealand teams have now played in 15 Fifa tournaments - eight male and seven female - since that first All Whites outing in 1982. With the four wins have been seven draws.

The only previous victory by a men's team came in 1999 at North Harbour Stadium when Kevin Fallon's under-17 side beat Poland 2-1.

Two years ago in Nigeria, Steve Cain's under-17s drew their three matches, all 1-1, with Burkina Faso, Costa Rica and Turkey to become the only New Zealand team - male or female - to reach the second phase, but their tournament ended abruptly with a 5-0 thrashing by the hosts.

The 2010 All Whites are the only other New Zealand men's team to collect a point at this level when they too drew their three matches in South Africa but they narrowly failed to claim a spot in the last 16.

The only other New Zealand team to claim points were the national under-20 women who beat hosts Chile 4-3 and drew 1-1 with England in 2008 but their four points were not enough to get them through to the play-offs.

Stephen Carmichael is the first New Zealand male to net a hat-trick.

He joins Rosie White as the only other New Zealander to score three in a match. White managed it twice in 2008, scoring all three in the Under-17's 3-1 win over Colombia at home and for the Under-20s in that 4-3 win in Chile.