Des Buckingham (second left) with the New Zealand Under 20 squad Picture: Mistral Sport
FORMER Oxford United coach Des Buckingham has guided New Zealand to a stunning start at the Under 20 World Cup.
The side, who started the tournament as 1,000-1 outsiders, followed up a 5-0 win over Honduras in their opener with a 2-0 success against Norway.
It has qualified the Junior All Whites, who had won just two of their previous 17 games at the competition, for the last-16 in Poland even before Thursday’s final group game against Uruguay.
New Zealand’s head coach Buckingham, who comes from Cowley, said: “I’m really proud to be leading this group of players.
“The results have come, but they’ve shown they can compete at this level.”
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