Ryan Thomas brace sends New Zealand through

Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

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Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

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New Zealand advanced to the final stage of World Cup qualifying in the Oceania region by beating Fiji 2-0 Tuesday.

Ryan Thomas scored both goals in the Group A match, the first in the 27th minute and the other in the 68th.

The win leaves New Zealand nine points clear at the top, with New Caledonia and Fiji only having two matches left to play.

New Zealand will face either Tahiti, Papua New Guinea or the Solomon Islands in the final qualifying round in September. The winners will then meet the fifth-place team from South America for a place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Tahiti are currently top of Group B.