All White-in-waiting Matt Dibley-Dias has captained his Fulham side to victory in the English Premier League Cup, a competition for U-21 teams.
Lower Hutt-born Dibley-Dias (20) raised the trophy after Fulham beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in the final at Craven Cottage.
Fulham raced to a 3-0 lead by half-time, thanks to a hat-trick from Callum Osmand, and then controlled the second half to lift the cup.
Midfielder Dibley-Dias was called into the New Zealand national squad for games against DR Congo and Australia in October 2023 but was injured in the All Whites training camp before he could make his debut.
He had been expected to make his international debut during those games, after choosing to play for the country of his birth, despite being eligible to play for Brazil, Portugal and England.
He recovered from his hamstring injury to return to play for Fulham’s U-21 side in late January.
All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley and captain Chris Wood were impressed by Dibley-Dias at October’s national training camp.
“He’s one for the future,” Bazeley said.
“He’s got a bright future ahead of him,” Wood said.
“I think he’ll do extremely well in our environment, and I think he’ll suit our team extremely well.”
Watch the match highlights
Result
Game played on Friday May 17, 2024 (NZT)
Fulham U-21 4 (Callum Osmand 3′, 16′, 45+2′, Giorgos Okkas 53′)
Tottenham Hotspur 0
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