Venezula Vs. Tahiti - - Hat-tricks From Jonathan Del Valle And Jose Rondon Helped Venezula To Book Their Place in Last 16

Hat-tricks from Jonathan Del Valle and Jose Rondon saw Venezuela cruise to a 8-0 victory over a Tahiti side, who played the majority of the match with nine men to book their place in the last 16 of the competition.

Spain's earlier win over Nigeria meant that both Spanish-speaking sides cannot be overtaken in Group B and therefore qualification to the next phase is assured. La Vinotinto opened the scoring as early as the fourth minute, when Francisco Flores' cross from the left was headed home by Jose Rondon, who rose above the challenge of Jay Warren to loop the ball over Teheipuari Hauata.

Fifteen minutes later it was 2-0, the unmarked Jose Manuel Velasquez diverting Louis Pena's corner into the net at the far post. Carlos Fernandez should have made it three, but dragged his shot wide with just the keeper to beat. Tahiti were dealt a hammer blow in the 26th minute when Stephane Faatiarau received his marching orders for a professional foul on Yonathan Del Valle and Rondon made no mistake from the resulting spot-kick.

Worse was to come for the islanders seven minutes before half-time when Garry Rochette received his second yellow for a foul on Pena. With the match over as a meaningful contest, the pace slowed to a crawl, with Venezuela simply going through the motions. The second half was a turgid affair, with Venezuela practically operating at walking pace. Twice Rondon had opportunities to complete his hat-trick, but casual finishing let him down.

The game was reignited in the 71st minute when Oscar Rojas curled a left-footed free-kick over the wall and past the outstretched dive of Hauata to put La Vinotinto 4-0 up. Jonathan Del Valle added a fifth with 12 minutes to go when he slotted the ball past the keeper after being played in by Rondon.

He added his second of the evening and Venezuela's sixth when Del Valle timed his run to perfection to divert Rojas' left-wing cross into the net and completed a 13-minute hat trick after collecting Jose Parra's slide-rule pass and firing past the keeper. There was also time for Rondon to complete his treble seconds later after converting a pass from Del Valle.

Although Lorenzo Tehau and Steevy Chong Hue flashed shots just wide of the upright for Tahiti in the first half, they failed to trouble Rafael Romo during the entire 90 minutes. Venezuela now must defeat Spain in their final group game to secure their place at the section's summit, while Tahiti's hopes of reaching the last 16 are effectively over.