Sporting Kansas City midfielder James Musa collected his third cap for New Zealand in a 13-minute substitute appearance on Tuesday as the All Whites drew Solomon Islands 2-2 in the second leg of the OFC Playoff Final at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
New Zealand cruised to a 8-3 aggregate victory, having won the first leg 6-1 on Friday, to seal a spot in a two-legged World Cup playoff in November. The All Whites will face the fifth-place finisher from the South American qualifying region in a home-and-away series, meeting on Nov. 6 and 14 to decide which team will advance to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia next summer.
Musa, who played 26 minutes in Friday's comprehensive home win, made his second straight cameo off the bench with the score tied 2-2 on Tuesday. New Zealand jumped out to a 2-0 lead within the first 20 minutes behind Myer Bevan's strike and an own goal, but the hosts battled back with penalty kicks from Micah Lea’alafa and Henry Fa’arodo in the 28th and 77th minutes, respectively.
The All Whites now turn their attention to the World Cup Qualifying picture in South America, where a remarkable CONMEBOL logjam sees second place and eighth place separated by just five points. If qualifying ended today, New Zealand would face Lionel Messi and 2014 World Cup finalist Argentina in November's playoff.
Fifth-place team will face New Zealand in World Cup playoff in November
